A MINISTER came to Daresbury to see how a £113 million high performance computer is set to generate jobs and investment.

Greg Clark, minister of state for universities, science and cities, had a tour of the Hartree Centre, a research collaboration between the Science and Technology Faculty and IBM.

Weaver Vale MP Graham Evans, who joined the visit, is confident high speed computing will attract many new businesses.

He said: “It has huge potential.

“Super fast computing accelerates research and development. What would take weeks, months and years can be done in days.

“For example, if a company was researching a drug for a delicate part of the body it could take a lot of time and money to get the results and fine tune a formula for the drug.

“This strips out the cost. The development time is a lot quicker.

“It makes Daresbury a very attractive place for companies to come and invest in.”

Mr Evans describes the world class science hub of Daresbury as ‘a jewel in the crown’ which is putting Halton on the map.

He said: “A number of new companies have moved here.

“Investment is coming from businesses across the world.

“There are significant benefits for residents in Runcorn as it creates good quality jobs.”

He said another 1,500 new homes are being built in Sandymoor to encourage people to move to the area.

Young people are being skilled up to take up jobs which may be created.

Mr Evans added: “Sandymoor School is specialising in science, technology, engineering and maths, the subjects companies moving to Daresbury are looking for.

“This will help prepare pupils for apprenticeships and jobs.

“This is all good news for Runcorn. It’s all about jobs and skills.

“It’s all down to the Government’s long term economic plan for Halton and that is the exciting thing for me.”