§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received regarding the impact of new regulations on British manufacturing in the last 12 months.[11005]
§ Mr. WilsonMinisters meet and correspond regularly with manufacturing companies and business organisations representing them on a range of issues, including the impact of new regulations.
§ Mr. HammondTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the factors responsible for the changes, in competitiveness of British manufacturing in the last three years.[10993]
§ Mr. WilsonCompetitiveness depends on a wide range of factors which we keep under close review. My Department published, in February 2001, its latest assessment of the UK's competitiveness against the world's leading economies in the second edition of the UK Competitiveness Indicators. In addition, we have a rolling programme of sector competitiveness analyses which seek to examine all the factors that may influence the competitiveness of companies in a particular industrial or business sector.