Clause 1 - Paternity leave
Employment Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Alan Johnson (Minister of State (Employment and the Regions), Department of Trade and Industry; Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, Labour)
It is a concern. Since 1997 we have introduced a whole raft of new rights. We have done so in a way that has ensured no interference with a position whereby we have the lowest inflation since the early 1960s, the lowest interest rates since England won the World cup and the cheapest mortgages for the past 25 years. We have overtaken Italy and France to become the world's fourth largest economy. Introducing basic minimum standards without damaging the competitiveness of British industry is very important to us. That is why we consulted meticulously. It also explains the difference between our approach to the ''may'' and ''shall'' question in the debates that we had before Christmas and our approach on clause 1.