Corus

AS Regions Minister, I have responsibility, along with colleagues in Government, for the regeneration part of the package that we are putting together to support the individuals and the communities affected by the Corus decision.

I hope this will be announced shortly. We have and are continuing to put pressure on Corus to meet its responsibility. - Hilary Armstrong, MP.

I SHARE your concerns about the implications of the 6,000 job losses announced by Corus earlier this month, over 1,000 of them in the North-East.

I am supportive of the campaign. My understanding is that there was little or no dialogue between Corus and the DTI in advance of the announcement.

Efforts are being made, of which I am supportive, to persuade Corus to lessen the damage on the communities affected. An announcement has been made of proposals to try to secure employment for steel workers in the telecom sector. More details are emerging from these sponsoring organisations and, hopefully, these proposals will go some way to cushion the impact of the job losses. - John Cummings, MP, Easington.

I CERTAINLY intend to support my colleagues on Teesside in their efforts to minimise the number of job losses and to increase the flow of resources for the region.

This is an important regional issue that affects all of us in the North-East, no matter whom we represent or where we live. I feel a strong sense of solidarity with the people of Teesside on this issue.

This only reinforces my feeling that we need a directly-elected regional assembly, that can represent us with large companies, national government and Europe. - Jim Cousins, MP, Newcastle Central.

THANK you for your letter of February 13 concerning the decision by Corus to axe 6,000 jobs and close a number of plants. I will certainly table Parliamentary Questions on this matter. I hope that this is helpful. - Miss Anne McIntosh LLB MP, Vale of York.

I SHARE the concerns and fears of people throughout the areas affected by Corus's announcement. As a Member of Parliament representing North Yorkshire, I am acutely aware of the devastating impact the job losses will have on the local community. My thoughts are with those people and their families facing an uncertain future.

It is a positive step that the company has met the representatives of the workforce and has undertaken to continue discussions on the proposals it has received about the restructuring of the company. It is important that all the interested parties come together in a positive attempt to secure the best future for those set to lose their jobs and the regions affected.

Sadly, Corus's announcement is not an isolated one. These job losses are the latest in a series of manufacturing job losses which now total over 300,000 since the last General Election. Indeed, the CBI has warned that current tax and regulatory policy is not helpful to manufacturing industry's problems. If the Government is serious about supporting our manufacturing base, then it should heed this warning and act immediately by withdrawing the energy tax which will hit all business, but particularly manufacturers, from April 1.

I give you an assurance that the Conservative Party will continue to highlight the pressures faced by manufacturing industry and urge the Government to act where it can make a difference. - Rt Hon William Hague, MP, North Yorkshire.

I CAN assure you that I shall certainly give my full support to my colleagues who are putting pressure on both Corus and the Government. We have been assured that the Government will take steps to ensure that everything possible is done to assist and support the areas affected by the cuts. - Gerry Steinberg MP, City of Durham.

I WILL offer any support I can to my colleagues in the areas affected to try to secure investment and regeneration. - Fraser Kemp MP, Houghton and Washington.

THANK you very much for your letter about Corus. I welcome the campaign of the Newsquest Group to call attention to this tragedy for our manufacturing base.

I can assure you that Her Majesty's Opposition is extremely mindful of the grotesque damage that has been inflicted on the steel communities as a result of the terrible news of 6,050 job losses at Corus.

I confirm that we are doing what we can to ensure that the Government takes steps to try to minimise the injury by supporting those communities involved to rebuild in the appropriate way.

However, it is not just steel that is affected. We have been arguing for months that the Government has ignored the plight of the whole manufacturing sector which has lost over 350,000 jobs since Labour came to office in 1997. The Government has burdened industry with masses of extra taxes and regulations, making British companies less competitive in global terms. Regretfully, the results of Labour's shameful neglect of the manufacturing sector are now being clearly seen. - The Hon Nicholas Soames, MP, Mid Sussex.

THANK you for your letter regarding Corus - your support for our efforts is most welcome. Be assured we will continue to do all we can. - Frank Cook, MP, Stockton North.

THANK you for your letter concerning Corus and its decision to axe jobs and the impact on local communities. I welcome the Newquest Group's concern. Shortly after Corus's announcement, the DTI Minister Patricia Hewitt made clear to the House that the Government share absolutely the fury and sense of betrayal of communities affected by the decision.

Financial results announced on February 1 showed clearly that Corus had problems which could not be ignored, but the actual Corus response represents short-termism rather than planning for longer term.

This is particularly true given the recent falls in sterling against the euro. Other manufacturing companies are prepared to take a long-term view - for example, in recent weeks both Toyota and Nissan have taken positive decisions on investment in the UK. The Corus decision also does not reflect the excellent productivity gains which have been achieved by the UK steel industry which, over the last 20 years, have averaged ten per cent per annum. The UK has highest output per employee in Europe.

There is considerable concern about the impact of the Corus changes on the local communities and the Government is determined to do what we can to assist and will work to provide retraining or other opportunities.

The Government has, throughout, pressed Corus to reconsider some of its proposals and has consistently offered to do what we can to help. That position remains unchanged. - Hugh Bailey, Labour MP, City of York.

THANK for your recent letter about the loss of jobs at the Corus steel company.

I am very concerned about job losses in this region. The North-East appears to have had more than its fair share of manufacturing job losses and there have been a number in my constituency recently.

As you know, Conservative spokesmen have voiced concerns about the situation and I shall ensure that our Shadow Ministers are fully aware of the strength of feeling locally and of the concerns of your newspaper. - John Greenway, MP, Ryedale.