HC Deb 20 January 1992 vol 202 cc9-10
10. Mr. Michael

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he intends to take to support the mall business sector in Wales and to encourage its expansion.

Sir Wyn Roberts

We shall continue to place a high priority on supporting the small business sector by a wide range of programmes of assistance implemented through the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales, training and enterprise councils, local enterprise agencies and the Welsh Office.

Mr. Michael

May we have a pause in the ministerial litany of self-praise and complacency to recognise the reality of the interest rate burden, the impact of stop-go, the abandonment of research and development, the neglect of training and education and the fact that, because of Government policy, the nightmare of bankruptcy and failure is faced daily by those who run small and medium-sized businesses in Wales? With the threat of the election staring Ministers in the face, will the Secretary of State stop being complacent and persuade Cabinet colleagues to change their policies to ones that will create opportunity and stability for our business community in Wales?

Sir Wyn Roberts

The hon. Gentleman seems to be excelling in gloom and doom today. My reply to him is the same as the one that I gave the right hon. Member for Llanelli (Mr. Davies), in which I said that VAT registrations had increased by 25 per cent. since 1979. The hon. Gentleman referred to the problem of high interest rates. Yes, they are a problem, but we have had to impose them because of inflation. As inflation is low, the prospects for the future are good, especially if the Government are returned to office. We are the tax-cutting party; Labour is the tax-increasing party. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was absolutely right to describe it as a "spend, spend, spend" and "tax, tax, tax" party.

Sir Anthony Meyer

Does my right hon. Friend accept that, in particular, the tourist industry and many other small businesses in my constituency, which are dependent on flexible working hours, part-time arrangements and appropriate salaries to match, would be devastated by the Labour party's minimum wage policy?

Sir Wyn Roberts

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. The tourist industry employs 90,000 people in Wales on the basis that my hon. Friend described. I can think of nothing more destructive than the Labour party's proposals.