§ 29. Mrs. DeanTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures she has taken to improve the competitiveness of British companies. [19899]
§ Mrs. BeckettI refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Erewash (Liz Blackman).
§ Liz BlackmanTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to improve the competitiveness of British industry. [19876]
§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsMy right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade is pushing forward her Competitiveness UK initiative. On 11 November, she published "A Benchmark for Business", an examination of our competitiveness at both national and sectoral level.
My right hon. Friend has announced the creation of six industry-based Working Parties to advise her on how business and Government can improve UK performance. The work of these groups and of my right hon. Friend's Advisory Group on Competitiveness will lead to a Competitiveness White Paper next year.
§ 31. Mr. Tony ClarkeTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what measures she has taken to improve the competitiveness of small and medium businesses. [19902]
§ Mrs. RocheSmall firms form the bedrock of a successful enterprise culture. The sector is crucial to the UK's competitiveness and lies at the heart of the Government's economic strategy.
We have already taken a number of steps to stimulate and sustain the competitiveness of small businesses. Measures include raising the quality of business support provided by Business Links to the standard of the best; 307W launch of the Enterprise Zone as the definitive Internet site for guiding small businesses to the most appropriate authoritative business-related information; and the bringing forward of a package of measures to promote a better payment culture.
We also want future policies and priorities to be informed by business. SMEs are therefore an important element of the process of consultation and dialogue under the Department's "Competitiveness" initiative.