Orders of the Day — Small Businesses

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 9:13 am on 4 August 1980.

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Photo of Mr David Mitchell Mr David Mitchell , Basingstoke 9:13, 4 August 1980

As the hours have passed during the night I have been reminded of the tale of the hon. Member who, after an all-night sitting, dreamt that he was making a speech in the House and woke up to find that he was. That is not true of my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (Mr. Pawsey), who I found at regular intervals during the night hovering round the Chamber, as was my hon. Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Sir A. Costain). An important contribution was made by my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Fry). I am disappointed that no Liberal Members are in the Chamber to listen to this important but short debate.

It is right that my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby should draw attention to the importance of the role of small businesses. They are vital to the quality of life which we all tend to take for granted. The milk that is delivered first thing every morning, the newspaper that comes through the door, and other services that help to improve the quality of life and that are taken for granted are the result of a constant ant-heap of small business activity.

More important to my hon. Friend the Member for Wellingborough is the fact that small businesses are the seed corn from which businesses of the future will grow and from which the jobs of the future will come. As some industries contract we have to ensure that we create the climate in which other industries will be born and will grow to take the place of those that are contracting. One of the values of the debate is that it has enabled me to listen to the views of my hon. Friends. I am conscious that it is important for Ministers to listen as well as to talk. Therefore, I do not intend to take long.