§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what ways his Department and its executive agencies deliver services to meet the needs of the public as consumers, with particular reference to families. [124537]
§ Mr. Byers[holding answer 5 June 2000]My Department and its agencies are committed to improving family life through the encouragement of enterprise and creation of wealth, and to enabling more choice for working parents to help them balance their work and family commitments while providing benefits for business. In a speech at the New Ways to Work Conference on 9 May, I announced a Government review of the issues surrounding maternity pay and parental leave.
My Department aims to benefit the public as consumers by creating strong and competitive markets and by developing a fair and effective legal and regulatory framework for commercial activity. Last year, we published a White Paper, "Modern Markets: Confident Consumers" (Cm 4410) which set out a comprehensive strategy to help people get a good deal. We also provide financial support for consumer bodies, including the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, and have set up an award winning consumer gateway (www.consumer.gov.uk) to steer people round the wealth of consumer information on the World Wide Web.