Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, speaking to the Parliamentary Design
Group and the Parliamentary Group for Women in Science, Engineering and
Design event "Women in Design"
20 June 2006
In recent years, this country has truly begun to appreciate the economic
and social potential of good design. So today I'm delighted to be at
this event, which focuses on the need for more women to have more
opportunities in this important industry.
Since 1997, there's been a surge of investment through public private
partnerships. This is revitalising our towns and cities, improving our
public services, and tackling the economic differentials which exist across
our country.
Design is essential to the process of creating sustainable communities. So
right from the start, this Government placed quality of design at the heart
of our approach.
One of the most obvious impacts has been in the fantastic new architecture
which embodies the new sense of pride and confidence in Britain's
cities. Just look at Tyneside - the Sage, the Baltic, and the Millennium
Bridge have brought the two banks of the Tyne together - culturally and
politically.
In the United States, I saw how the superb art gallery by Calatrava is
bringing new pride to Milwaukee. I also visited 2 outstanding projects by
Frank Gehry - the Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Bandstand in
Millennium Park in Chicago. These places have really got the wow factor.
But good design is not just about remarkable new buildings. It's also
about reusing our old industrial assets for the 21st century.
In Birmingham, developments like Brindleyplace have used the old canals to
breathe new life into a great city. And look at the Urban Splash project in
Salford which has revitalised old terraced houses in an area of low demand.
Their designers have turned the interiors of the houses upside down - and
people have been queuing up to buy them.
In other parts of the country, we need more housing that people on moderate
incomes can afford.
I set developers that challenge to build quality family homes for a
construction cost of £60,000. People said it couldn't be done, but
thanks to English Partnerships' Design for Manufacture competition,
we've proved them wrong.
I knew that low cost housing didn't have to mean low quality design.
That's why I got the designers and the architects working with the
developers in the competition to create the £60,000 house. We even built a
£60,000 house in the street outside the Design Council. And when you walk
through the door of one of these houses, you can really see and feel the
difference which good design has made.
I created the Academy for Sustainable Communities to get designers,
architects, developers, housing experts and other professionals working
together on new ideas and new partnerships.
I also required the Housing Corporation to invest more of its money in
offsite construction - another example of how design, technology and
innovation can come together.
To give another example - today when I heard that the Swiss have come up
with a new material, so that you can mould and design solar panels, instead
of having big inflexible panels. It's about technology and design
working together.
And as we tackle climate change - the greatest long term threat to our
planet - we need a revolution in environmental technology in which design
must play a crucial role.
Today's event reminds us that Britain has a huge untapped resource of
talent, and that we need greater equality of opportunity in a changing
society. We need to remove the barriers that women face and create a
more level playing field.
The Regional Development Agencies play a vital role in assisting new
businesses - and I believe they can help widen opportunities for women.
I welcome the £20 million of funding which the Department for Education and
Skills has just announced, to encourage more women into construction (with
the London Olympics in 2012 on the horizon).
Zaha Hadid's design for the Aquatics Centre at the London Olympics is
one example of how much women can contribute to design in this country.
Allowing more women to have more opportunities to develop their skills,
their careers, is a matter of social justice. But it's more than that -
it's common sense for our economy.
The Women and Work Commission has estimated that increasing women’s
participation in the labour market (especially in occupations traditionally
filled by men) could be worth between £15 billion and £23 billion a year to
the British economy. That’s up to 2% of GDP. This is a staggering
amount.
It's doesn't make sense that industries in which women are
under-represented are also experiencing skills shortages. Just look at the
plumbing and construction industry sector, where women comprise of just 1%
of employees.
The Women and Work Commission also showed that if more women move into
higher-skilled, higher-paid occupations the productive potential of the
economy would rise by between £2 billion and £9 billion.
Only 11% of top business leaders are women. For Britain to be more
successful in the global economy, women’s leadership, talent and skills
need to be promoted in science, design, engineering and a whole range of
other trades and professions.
Everyone must have a fair chance to succeed. It's common sense for our
economy. Social justice for all. Opportunity for all
