§ 20. Mr. SutcliffeTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to increase productivity in the United Kingdom. [18541]
§ Mrs. Angela KnightThere has been a significant improvement in the UK's productivity performance over the last 15 years, compared both with other countries and with the UK's performance in the 1970s. The UK's productivity performance is benefiting from a more stable economic environment, with continued health growth and low inflation, and from the Government's supply side reforms which have contributed to increased labour market flexibility, strengthened competition and market forces, and improved industrial relations. The improvement should continue over the rest of the 1990s as the impact of supply side reform continues to be felt.