Orders of the Day — Greater London and the South-East

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:09 am on 1 April 1993.

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Photo of Tony Baldry Tony Baldry Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Environment) 12:09, 1 April 1993

The hon. Lady could hardly imagine that I would be responding to the debate this evening without mentioning our policies to tackle unemployment. If she is patient, I will come to that in due order in my speech. It would be suprising if I did not approach that subject.

Our policies to help industry go beyond those concerned with the economy. Our aim is to create the right environment for businesses to prosper so that they can create jobs. We shall continue in our drive to reduce the burden on industry by identifying and preserving only the regulation which is genuinely needed. We want businesses to be freer to do what they do best—creating the wealth and jobs on which the nation depends.

We also recognise the major part that small firms can play in securing economic health. Our policies offer a wide range of assistance to such companies—access to low-cost consultancy expertise, financial help for innovation and research, and support in looking for export markets. Those are practical demonstrations of our determination to help business, in London and the south-east as elsewhere.

Further support is offered through the training and enterprise councils, the TECs, which aim to ensure that their services to small businesses are employee led, fully in line with local needs and of the highest possible quality. TECs operate business support schemes for small and medium-sized companies throughout London and the south-east.