:01:41. > :01:51.Here: A boost for our hi-tech industry. Meanwhile, up workers are
:01:51. > :01:51.
:01:51. > :29:48.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 1676 seconds
:29:48. > :29:55.fighting for jobs at Remploy Hello and welcome to Sunday
:29:55. > :30:00.Politics East. As Remploy factories face closure workers are forced to
:30:00. > :30:04.find work in mainstream employment. You are like a sparrow amongst the
:30:04. > :30:10.starlings but here you are like a starling amongst the starlings -
:30:10. > :30:19.all in the same boat. First, the economics secretary to the Treasury
:30:19. > :30:24.is here. Let us start with a quick word about the IMF report this week.
:30:24. > :30:31.It said the government might have to make some tough measures to
:30:31. > :30:35.boost growth, such as cutting taxes like VAT. I know you think there
:30:35. > :30:43.should be more growth, but do you think the IMF wants to see growth
:30:43. > :30:49.as well? I believe they say it for themselves. These cuts on posterity
:30:49. > :30:59.are self defeating in terms of people losing their jobs when it
:30:59. > :31:02.
:31:02. > :31:07.doesn't have to happen. I'm glad to be on with your other guest. Let us
:31:07. > :31:14.begin on a mature note. Let us have a debate here based on what the IMF
:31:14. > :31:18.said. Briefly, the IMF was positive in his report but there are mixed
:31:18. > :31:25.messages. Britain needs to deal with its debts and that is what
:31:25. > :31:29.this country has been doing and it has and as credibility to turn to
:31:29. > :31:34.measures for growth. There isn't actually a fierce opposition
:31:34. > :31:39.between austerity and growth. You need one to get to the other.
:31:39. > :31:44.has been a mixed picture for jobs in the region. On the positive side,
:31:44. > :31:48.the government gave millions to Life Science Research and one of
:31:48. > :31:55.our universities announced plans to create more jobs. On the negative
:31:56. > :32:00.side, there were redundancies and uncertainty as some well known -
:32:00. > :32:04.might in some well-known companies. The Cromer crab Company has been
:32:04. > :32:07.buying and processing the local produce and selling it around the
:32:07. > :32:11.world and for the last year, the town has been fighting to keep it
:32:11. > :32:15.open. They thought they were getting somewhere but this week,
:32:15. > :32:20.they learned the plant will close in the summer. We all carried hope
:32:20. > :32:24.in our hearts that something would come up and the owners would find a
:32:24. > :32:30.buyer who would continue the crowd processing operation but the news
:32:30. > :32:38.today that 109 jobs is going is a bit at blow. They have been
:32:38. > :32:43.fighting hard to send -- save Lola cars in Huntingdon. The future of
:32:43. > :32:49.the correct an oil depot became more and Sourton with reports that
:32:49. > :32:52.refining could go elsewhere. The Cambridge computer firm Autonomy
:32:52. > :32:57.has uncertainty after its founder left and it reported a big drop in
:32:57. > :33:03.sales. But the government says this is only one side of the story. This
:33:03. > :33:07.week, the Science Minister was digging for growth as he announced
:33:08. > :33:12.�127 million for a research project in Cambridge and Norwich. Thousands
:33:12. > :33:17.of jobs are likely to follow. is real support for East Anglia
:33:17. > :33:22.where there are so many world-class centres. There are many businesses
:33:22. > :33:29.to grow and bring us that jobs that the Coalition believes in for hi-
:33:29. > :33:35.tech jobs in the future. Ruskin University announced a new project
:33:35. > :33:38.in a move which could create 12,500 jobs. A delegation from China
:33:38. > :33:47.visiting Norfolk this week is believed to be close to invent
:33:47. > :33:52.sting tens of millions of pounds in the automotive engineering centre.
:33:52. > :33:57.It is a great opportunity to bring jobs in Norfolk and wrote the
:33:57. > :34:02.skills base we have. This large amount of investment is welcome
:34:02. > :34:06.news. Government MPs are saying it puts the region at the forefront of
:34:06. > :34:11.the economic recovery. By creating those jobs will take time and that
:34:11. > :34:16.is not such good news for those out of work now.
:34:16. > :34:21.Terry Smith, new hi-tech industries taking off but that is not
:34:21. > :34:29.compensation for people who are losing their jobs now. Where will
:34:29. > :34:33.they get jobs from -- Chloe Smith. It is extremely sad for those.
:34:33. > :34:37.Every job lost his up a tragedy for an individual and family. What we
:34:37. > :34:42.have to do in government is put in place the conditions to get jobs
:34:42. > :34:47.out there. Things like infrastructure, credit to
:34:47. > :34:51.businesses and this kind of funding that can help innovation in the hi-
:34:51. > :34:58.tech economy. Richard, we have seen a lot of investment in life
:34:58. > :35:05.sciences. That has got to be good news, hasn't it? I think more could
:35:05. > :35:12.have been done. The local management dip their best and was
:35:12. > :35:20.involved in negotiations. And Labour's campaign did his best to.
:35:20. > :35:27.I agree that the East - in our universities and businesses - has a
:35:27. > :35:30.specialism in life sciences. There is a great expertise in terms of
:35:30. > :35:35.medical degrees and this will add to that in terms of medical
:35:35. > :35:39.technology. When we talk about the government, giving a bit with one
:35:39. > :35:48.hand when you take away a huge slice with the other. If you take
:35:48. > :35:54.the universities, they have taken �2 billion a weight recently. We
:35:54. > :36:00.have seen local enterprise partnerships set-up when the east
:36:00. > :36:04.of England Development Agency was set up with 140 million. Giving
:36:04. > :36:10.with one and taking away with the other. We had the double dip is
:36:10. > :36:15.worse than feared. You need a plan for quotes, don't you? Has David
:36:15. > :36:19.Cameron asked you to look at a triple-A rating to borrow money?
:36:20. > :36:25.The plan begins with recognising when you have a problem. Richard,
:36:25. > :36:32.I'm afraid, does not understand that. She a lack of credibility
:36:32. > :36:36.with which Labour left our economy in is overwhelming. But what a back
:36:36. > :36:41.infrastructure projects? It is from that position we have to begin. We
:36:41. > :36:46.have to recognise that the position is tough at the moment and that
:36:47. > :36:56.party left the economy in tatters. We have to put up with that Des and
:36:57. > :37:02.doing that gives us credit on the international scene. Are you going
:37:02. > :37:08.to use that to borrow to invest to stimulate growth? We have to be
:37:08. > :37:12.able to use that and we are able to use that to use the Government's
:37:12. > :37:19.balance sheet to increase growth. The government is doing something
:37:19. > :37:25.right, isn't it, Richard? They are doing something right. This is the
:37:25. > :37:30.week in which they have had to admit figures on recession are
:37:30. > :37:38.worse than thought. The construction industry has been
:37:38. > :37:41.shrunk. In France, people are turning away from Conservatives
:37:41. > :37:46.towards a social democratic candidate. The German Conservatives
:37:46. > :37:52.are losing their regional elections and it is only a matter of time
:37:53. > :37:58.where the people make a judgement. You mention Greece and Europe. A
:37:58. > :38:03.creek - that quick comment on Greece. Again, we are left in a
:38:03. > :38:10.position where there are Conservative Euro-sceptics who want
:38:10. > :38:13.to blame Europe whereas growth is better in Germany than in Britain.
:38:13. > :38:18.Things are tough in Greece and they have some responsibility for where
:38:18. > :38:23.they have got to but sitting on the edge of Europe and spectating has
:38:23. > :38:29.not help businesses in this region. There is a lot more to talk about
:38:29. > :38:35.on that but I want to move on. One set of workers are struggling to
:38:35. > :38:41.hold on to their jobs and they are the employees that Remploy. One
:38:41. > :38:47.fact respect -- set up for disabled workers is set to close. It is one
:38:47. > :38:54.of 13 factories nationwide that is up for review. Hundreds of disabled
:38:54. > :38:58.workers will have to find new jobs. Harvey has learning and mobility
:38:58. > :39:03.difficulties. He has worked for Remploy for 21 years and knows
:39:03. > :39:09.everything there is to know about the factories product, cardboard
:39:09. > :39:12.packaging. It is a good company and offer support. It offers people a
:39:12. > :39:21.chance to get back to work and get self-respect and dignity and
:39:21. > :39:27.training. What I you going to do if this place closes? Probably never
:39:27. > :39:31.work again. As hard as I might do, no one will employ me because they
:39:31. > :39:36.look at my disability. Susan has worked for Remploy for a long time.
:39:36. > :39:42.She has autism. Before getting her job 15 years ago she had been
:39:42. > :39:47.unemployed. If you saw what we have been doing today it shows we have
:39:47. > :39:52.jobs just the same as able-bodied people. Perhaps not on a production
:39:52. > :39:55.line and working quickly but we still work for are bread-and-butter
:39:55. > :40:00.and still earn a wage and we are not on benefits. The employee was
:40:00. > :40:05.set up after the Second World War. For those who had been disabled
:40:05. > :40:11.during the conflict. Of their 54 factories, 36 now face possible
:40:11. > :40:15.closure, including Remploy in Norwich which has 28 disabled
:40:15. > :40:19.employees. We cannot show your working because Remploy's head
:40:19. > :40:27.office which comes under government control, will not allow West in.
:40:27. > :40:30.The average wage is �14,000 a year and the government pays �11,000 per
:40:30. > :40:35.employee to cover specialist support they need at work.
:40:35. > :40:40.important thing for anyone affected by the decision here to make sure
:40:40. > :40:44.the money we used and the projected budget we use is supporting more
:40:45. > :40:50.disabled people is that this is an opportunity to support existing
:40:50. > :40:53.Remploy factory employees into new work where required, to put in
:40:54. > :40:58.place the sort of training that can make a real difference to the sorts
:40:58. > :41:02.of jobs they might be able to get. I would reassure them that we will
:41:02. > :41:08.make sure the support is there - one on one support - to make sure
:41:08. > :41:13.they can look at all the options. While this factory attract business
:41:13. > :41:17.from factories like Marks and Spencer, year-on-year, it has
:41:17. > :41:27.operated at a loss. So will business leaders really be
:41:27. > :41:29.
:41:29. > :41:33.interested in taking all of this on? No-one -- it doesn't require
:41:33. > :41:38.modernisation but they can remain open. It is a vital life source for
:41:38. > :41:42.people and their families and to prevent them being a burden on the
:41:42. > :41:49.tax payer. There is talk of a ballot for strike action but there
:41:49. > :41:55.is little optimism. You can go and speak to someone with your problems.
:41:55. > :41:59.All birds Of A Feather go together. If you going to the outside world
:42:00. > :42:04.you are like a sparrow amongst the starlings. But here you are a
:42:04. > :42:09.starling amongst starlings - all in the same boat. We will be staying
:42:10. > :42:14.in touch with them to see how they get on. Joining us is Glen Holden
:42:14. > :42:20.from the GMB union. What you think the future of that plant is?
:42:20. > :42:24.don't think it has too much of a future, unfortunately. And
:42:24. > :42:29.disappointed Remploy didn't take the opportunity to come on the
:42:29. > :42:33.programme. We have a brand here which can be sustained and moved
:42:33. > :42:39.forward into the future. Isn't there an argument for getting these
:42:39. > :42:43.workers into mainstream jobs rather than segregating them? Let us make
:42:44. > :42:47.it clear that we have always said people should have a choice to go
:42:47. > :42:54.into mainstream employment and a lot have chosen to do so. Others
:42:54. > :42:59.have chosen to stay at the factory. In 2011 there was a voluntary
:42:59. > :43:03.redundancy factory where people saw a future with a factory and chose
:43:03. > :43:09.to remain with them. I don't think there is a case financially or
:43:09. > :43:12.economically for the closure of the factories. We are not against
:43:12. > :43:19.modernisation and the unions will not say that necessarily 54
:43:19. > :43:25.factories will remain open. But is -- there is not a case for all too
:43:25. > :43:29.close. But there are thousands of pounds of subsidies over the years
:43:30. > :43:35.- is that enough incentive for employers to take on these workers?
:43:35. > :43:42.I don't think it is at the end of the day. There are liabilities and
:43:42. > :43:46.there is always a level of subsidy required as within rail network. No
:43:46. > :43:51.one is saying there shouldn't be a subsidy but this is quality
:43:52. > :43:59.employment. Clare week and Richard are aware of that. The let me bring
:43:59. > :44:08.them in. -- Chloe. It will leave hundreds of workers back on
:44:08. > :44:14.benefits. Not the case. I have visited this factory. I have talked
:44:14. > :44:18.about this recently with members of Remploy. I'm conscious of some of
:44:18. > :44:24.the numbers involved here. There were 26 people at the Norwich
:44:24. > :44:29.factory. You could compare that to the many tens of thousands of
:44:29. > :44:33.disabled people in the City as a whole. I think we have to look at
:44:33. > :44:38.how the budget available - the protected budget for specialist
:44:38. > :44:44.employment - could be used to help many more people. Harvey said he
:44:44. > :44:49.will never work again in that film. Harvey and anyone else in that
:44:50. > :44:55.situation, if that were the case at Norwich, would get a very decent
:44:55. > :45:00.package to help him. We must make the money go further to help more
:45:00. > :45:04.disabled people. That is what we want to see. Richard, modernisation
:45:04. > :45:10.started under Labour. You could have done more? I have to
:45:10. > :45:19.contradict what we have heard. Ian Duncan Smith said earlier this
:45:19. > :45:23.month, they sit around and drink t. Say that to Harvey and Susan. I
:45:23. > :45:27.have been associated with the Norwich factory and don't deeply
:45:27. > :45:32.concerned the government will not let the cameras in. Local
:45:32. > :45:37.management has done a great job in building the business up. They are
:45:37. > :45:43.real jobs. We are talking about a comparison as a company where they
:45:44. > :45:50.have a major contract for a hotel. If that is closed down, look at
:45:50. > :45:56.ways beach in the Fens. The Remploy factory was closed and beat survey
:45:56. > :46:03.shows that 85 diff -- 85% of the people are still out of work years
:46:03. > :46:10.later. Do you think they will find mainstream jobs? No I don't and the
:46:10. > :46:15.statistics will reflect that. 85% of those people left in 2008 did
:46:15. > :46:22.not find meaningful employment. Only 7% remain in employment. I
:46:22. > :46:27.deal with a host of employers and the longest that anyone has lasted
:46:27. > :46:32.in those companies in mainstream employment has been about one year.
:46:32. > :46:39.We will keep in touch with them to see what their future is. Thank you
:46:39. > :46:44.for joining us. It is time for our weekly political round-up. There
:46:44. > :46:54.were calls once again to reduce the cost of filling up your car. Here
:46:54. > :46:56.
:46:56. > :47:01.It is now a law that the coast of Suffolk is the only place in UK
:47:01. > :47:06.waters where ship to ship all transfers can take place. We sent
:47:06. > :47:12.out a big flashing beacon to come to our area so I am concerned there
:47:12. > :47:16.will be a significant increase in their number. And onshore, EDF has
:47:16. > :47:21.said it remains on course for expansion at Sizewell as the
:47:21. > :47:25.Government's energy bill pledged financial incentives for future
:47:25. > :47:31.nuclear development. But it was the price of petrol that prompted calls
:47:31. > :47:39.for -- from the Harlow MP for a fuel duty cut. It feels like you
:47:39. > :47:47.need a if court order to get prices down. One baby bonding charity won
:47:47. > :47:50.praise from the PM. How where does her huge credit. Princess Anne's
:47:50. > :47:56.passions for all things the question was reflected at this new
:47:56. > :48:01.home in Newmarket for people who work in the racing industry.
:48:01. > :48:06.Is there ever going to be any good news on crippling fuel prices?
:48:06. > :48:16.is another of those things that need to be seen in the round. Many
:48:16. > :48:17.
:48:17. > :48:22.people know what it is like to fill up a car. The fact days that it is
:48:22. > :48:28.the kind of decision that needs to be taken in the round. Prices are
:48:28. > :48:33.deeply affected by the Middle East, by the global energy crisis and, of
:48:33. > :48:41.course, the Government listens to the other half of the equation
:48:41. > :48:51.about fuel duty. The government has put in around �4.5 billion for the
:48:51. > :48:52.
:48:52. > :48:57.motorists which is significantly better than what Labour did. If
:48:57. > :49:03.there were called to lower duty again, is it a wise use of public
:49:03. > :49:11.money. Rigid, I know you will say this. People are using their cars
:49:11. > :49:15.less aren't they? I represent my constituency just as much as any
:49:15. > :49:20.other MP. When the energy bill Kay mac this week, Greenpeace said
:49:20. > :49:25.there was a complete failure to support renewable energy, a failure
:49:25. > :49:33.of leadership from the government. The east of the region has been the