Engagements — House of Commons, 2017-04-26
Topic: Labor
Questions: Thanks to this Conservative Government, the west of England has received billions of pounds of investment in transport infrastructure. On frequent visits to Bath by the Transport Secretary and the Prime Minister, I have raised with them the issues of congestion and air pollution, as well as the need for a feasibility study on the long overdue A36-46 link road to the east of Bath. Does the Prime Minister agree that the only way to secure that vital infrastructure project is for Bath residents to give me a renewed mandate on 8 June?; My local clinical commissioning group is planning to downgrade the A&E at Huddersfield Royal infirmary and move it to Halifax. That has been dictated by a disastrous private finance initiative deal. I have been fighting these appalling plans alongside the community campaign group Hands Off HRI, which is led by Karl Deitch. Will the Prime Minister join me in praising the community campaigners, led by Karl? Does she agree that patients should not be suffering as a result of the catastrophic PFI deals signed by the last Labour Government, and will she ensure that communities such as mine have their voices listened to properly?; My hon. Friends the Members for Redcar (Anna Turley), for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin), for Newport East (Jessica Morden), for Alyn and Deeside (Mark Tami), for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Angela Smith), for Cardiff South and Penarth (Stephen Doughty) and for Llanelli (Nia Griffith) are all proven champions for their local steel communities. Does the Prime Minister agree that their ongoing presence in this place is vital for the future of our British steel industry?; With the consultation on the Greater Manchester spatial framework now closed, I would like to thank the 3,600 Cheadle residents who signed my petition. It called for the green belt in Cheadle Hulme, Heald Green and Woodford to be protected and for much needed homes to be built on brownfield land instead. Does my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister agree that we must press for brownfield sites to be identified and redeveloped, and that protections for our precious green spaces can only be maintained under a strong Conservative Government?; Over the past six months, it has been announced that 2,000 jobs will be lost in York. Yesterday, Nestlé announced 300 job losses, 156 of them in my constituency, which is devastating for workers, their families and the community. Jobs, not products, are being exported to the EU, and as ever, York’s skilled jobs are being replaced by low-wage, insecure work. In the light of the special deal at Nissan in Sunderland, will the Prime Minister meet me, trade unions and the company to strike a special deal to save these jobs and avert the losses both now and in the future?
Theresa Mary May (Conservative, Centre-right): First, the hon. Lady is right to raise this issue of the announcement from Nestlé, which arose, as she says, only yesterday. We should be clear that Nestlé has itself been clear that this is not a decision that was affected by leaving the European Union—it says it has made it irrespective of that—but of course it is a worrying time for the workers and their families at Nestlé in both York and Newcastle. I can assure her that we are already in contact with the company to understand its plans and the next steps. My right hon. Friend the Business Secretary will speak with senior Nestlé representatives later today. The Department for Work and Pensions of course stands ready to put in place its rapid response service to support any workers made redundant by helping them back into employment as quickly as possible, and there are various ways in which Jobcentre Plus can help. What is important is that we ensure that the support is there, and as I have said, the Business Secretary will be speaking to Nestlé representatives later today.