§ 1. Mr. Bill Wiggin (Leominster) (Con)What assessment she has made of the number of call centre jobs being exported to (a) eastern Europe and (b) Asia. [149731]
§ The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Ms Patricia Hewitt)I well understand people's concerns about the offshoring of UK service jobs, whether to eastern Europe or to Asia. To understand better what is happening and how we should respond, I have issued a consultation document on offshoring. I have also commissioned a competitiveness study of UK call centres, and I will host a round-table discussion next month with businesses, trade unions and others concerned about this issue.
§ Mr. WigginI am grateful for the Secretary of State's answer, but it does not tell us whether she is worried enough about the export of call centre jobs. The Secretary of State for Wales is equally confused. He said that the loss of the jobs would contribute to our prosperity, but the following day he said that he would fight to save every call centre job. Will the right hon. Lady straighten out the right hon. Gentleman when he comes to answer business questions later this morning?
§ Ms HewittIt is the Conservative party that is in a complete muddle on this issue. Just four months ago, the then shadow trade spokesman said:
Reducing barriers to free trade is essential to raising living standards worldwide.I am very clear that the loss of any jobs, including call centre jobs, is devastating for the workers concerned, and for their families. That is especially true for communities that were devastated years ago by the loss of manufacturing jobs. However, I am also clear that we can protect people in this country without resorting to the protectionism that the hon. Gentleman seems to want. We will go on growing call centre jobs and other good jobs in our country by competing on quality and skills, not on costs.
§ Mr. Martin O'Neill (Ochil) (Lab)Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is concern about the loss of jobs that may need better qualifications than call centre jobs do? Such jobs include the back-office accounting functions that are being transferred out of this country. As a result, there has been a reduction in training for people in those important areas of business, and some companies use that as an excuse for not meeting their responsibilities to continue to train staff.
§ Ms HewittA growing proportion of call centre jobs are done by people who are well trained, highly skilled and well paid. That is why we are determined to keep our call centre sector competitive. Some companies are undoubtedly moving more of their back-office operations abroad, especially to India, but other companies—both British companies and inward investor firms—are growing their call centre operations here. I have no doubt that those good jobs will continue to grow in the UK. If call centre jobs also grow in India, as they will, that is also good news. Labour Members, at least, want India to become more prosperous, for two reasons: first, that is right for people in India and, secondly, as India grows, it will spend even more on goods and services from this country than the £2.5 billion that it already spends every year.
§ Mr. James Arbuthnot (North-East Hampshire) (Con)Last month, the Secretary of State said that she looked forward to getting help from the Conservatives, instead of the usual whingeing about red tape. Also last month, however, the British Chambers of Commerce said that additional regulation on business since Labour came to power in 1997 had added £20billion every year to UK plc's costs. Was the BCC whingeing? Does not the right hon. Lady see the connection between Labour's red tape and jobs leaving Britain?
§ Ms HewittThe hon. Gentleman seems completely ignorant of the fact that there are more people in work in the UK than ever before. Unemployment is falling in every region and nation of the UK. We will go on working—with the chambers of commerce and all the other business organizations—to simplify regulation. That is what we have been doing, which is why the new year survey of European business leaders by the German economic newspaper Handelsblatt ranked the UK as No. 1 for competitiveness. It is also why the review by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development shows that we have almost the lowest administrative costs of any EU country, with fewer regulations for entrepreneurs.
All the surveys confirm that we are doing better than almost any industrialised country. Indeed, British Gas's most recent survey shows that small and medium-sized enterprises are spending less time dealing with red tape. In that respect as well as others, things are getting better than was the case under the Conservatives.
§ David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab/Co-op)New technology creates jobs but newer technology can export those jobs to other firms, countries and continents. Does my right hon. Friend agree that there is every reason for optimism, given this country's tradition of entrepreneurial skills, adaptability and investment? As jobs disappear to other nations and 1453 continents, successor jobs will use even newer technology, which we are in a strong position to utilise and deploy.
§ Ms HewittMy hon. Friend is right. We will continue to grow good jobs in our country and employ our people by continuing to secure business, to develop better products and services and to move up the value-added chain. My hon. Friend is also right about India. Last year, more than 440 Indian companies invested in Britain, which helped to create jobs here. On the issue of quality, some of my hon. Friends know that Littlewoods recently announced that it is moving its call centre operation back from India to the UK in order to secure its required quality of customer service.
All my hon. Friends, especially those from the north-west, will welcome my publication this morning of the Competition Commission report on the completed acquisition by March UK of GUS's home shopping and home delivery businesses. The Competition Commission has cleared the merger, and I hope that that news reassures call centre workers all over our country.
§ Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD)Will the Secretary of State acknowledge the concerns about how some companies are handling the outsourcing of jobs and about the lack of consultation with the work forces affected? Given the expansion of trade and investment between eastern Europe and especially India and the UK, does she agree that there are opportunities to reinvest the funds provided by that overseas investment in new technology, and especially in smaller businesses, which are increasing their productivity at a much higher rate than large businesses that are investing abroad? Will she do more to ensure that we train more computer technologists in this country so that we can add value to our computer industry and ensure that we secure the niche at the top end?
§ Ms HewittI entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman about the need to continue to raise the level of skills in the IT sector as well as across the economy generally. That is why we are making difficult reforms that will allow us to put some £1 billion of additional funding into our universities to raise the quality of teaching for undergraduates. We are expanding modern apprenticeships, investing in basic skills and working hard with the e-skills training body to attract young women as well as young men—and older women and men for that matter—into that expanding sector.