Modernising Agenda for the Economy (Hansard, 11 May 2000)

§ The Minister for Science, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville)

The Government's modernising agenda was summarised in my previous Written Answer. It has been set out in more depth in the White PaperOur Competitive Future: Building the Knowledge Driven Economy (Cmnd 4176) and other White Papers arid consultation documents produced by DTI and in Budget and pre-Budget report documentation produced by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Central to this agenda is providing a commercial framework which will help British business compete against the challenges of the future, whether these come from rising consumer expectations, the increasing knowledge content of products and services or the developments of electronic commerce. We believe it is distinctively modern to be at the forefront of the world in developing legislation and other programmes to promote the best environment for electronic commerce, to introduce a regulatory framework which actively promotes the development of fair and effective competition throughout the economy, to he developing a modern framework of company law suited to the needs of this century and actively to promote innovative business clusters and corporate social responsibility. These are just a few examples of issues which this Government are pursuing to help British business meet the demands of the modern knowledge economy.