Trade and Industry Minister David Cretney MHK has been undertaking a programme of visits to local manufacturers, accommpanied by Departmental members.

This week, he visited Duke Video and Assystem (IOM), joined by Clare Christian MLC, who assists the Minister with the policy for economic development, and David Quirk MHK.

Speaking after the tour of Duke Video, the Minister commented, "I’ve been keen to undertake these visits in order to discuss areas for future development and growth, as well as hear of any areas of concern given the recent news regarding the VAT shortfall."

"On-site visits have given us the opportunity to see the excellent work being done with respect to world-class products being produced and distributed from the Island.

"Duke Video is clearly one of our success stories, being the world’s major producer and distributor of motorsport DVDs and managing the online shops for major clients including Sky Sports and ESPN."

"I’m very keen to maintain the close working partnerships my Department enjoys with the private sector and so will be undertaking further visits over the next few weeks with businesses and industry associations."

Jon Quayle, Director of Duke, commented, "We were delighted to welcome the Minister and department members to our operation at what is one of our busiest times of the year.

"The Minister, Mrs Christian and Mr Quirk were able to see the behind-the-scenes work which goes into producing DVD reviews of world championships, visit our distribution department and see our call centre dealing with a large volume of customer inquiries."

The visits to manufacturers follow a series of meetings between Mr Cretney and representatives from the shipping sector during the summer recess.

The Minister will also be briefing trade associations relevant to DTI’s sectors in the coming weeks on the Government’s response to the financial situation.