DTI OBJECTIVES (Hansard, 30 April 1991)

§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Hesketh)

The Secretary of State is today publishing revised objectives for the department. They are as follows:

The aim of the Department of Trade and Industry is to foster a market environment which results in satisfied customers and prosperous producers.

To this end the DTI works to ensure that markets at home and abroad are open, fair and competitive; to see that UK business is best placed to take full advantage of market opportunities; and to champion all those involved in wealth creation.

The DTI will: work for trade liberalisation worldwide, and the completion of the Single European Market; promote exports of UK goods and services; stimulate innovation in industry by encouraging research, the transfer of technologies, the spread of 20WA technical skills and closer links between business and the science base; improve the provision of information to business about new methods, opportunities and management skills; encourage competition by tackling restrictive practices, cartels and monopolies, and by extending privatisation and contracting out; foster the integrity of markets so that customers, creditors and investors benefit from a well targeted system of protection and a light but effective regulatory framework allowing informed choices to be made; encourage a positive attitude towards wealth creation; reduce burdens on business by simplifying regulation and scrutinising the compliance costs which regulation brings; listen to the concerns of business and consumers and ensure that these are taken into account in the development of Government policies; ensure that policies respond to the needs of different regions and areas with special difficulties.

In order to achieve these objectives the DTI is committed to managing and developing the people who work within it, to enable them to provide a professional, high quality, accessible and responsive service to business and the community.