(Except clauses 1 to 3 and 16 to 53and schedules 4 to 11)
Finance Bill
10:30 am
Mr Richard Ottaway (Croydon South, Conservative)
On a point of order, Mr. O'Hara, have you had a request from the Economic Secretary to correct the record from last week? I pointed out that Britain had slipped from 15th to 19th position in the competitiveness league, to which she replied:
``That is a ridiculous assertion.'' —[Official Report, Standing Committee A, 26 April 2001; c. 66.]
I have brought with me the press release from the International Institute for Management Development, which confirms that we have slipped to 19th position in the competitiveness league—just above Estonia, which is in 22nd place. Obviously, the Minister will want to correct the record to reflect that point.