Extract from Oral
question (Lords) on Bilateral Trade: Sri Lanka
(LD): My
Lords, the Minister puts a great deal of stress on the
Commonwealth as a framework. We have heard a great deal from the
Government about how the Commonwealth, as a network, is going to
replace Europe as the driver for British exports. Will he give us
some specific examples of cases where membership of the
Commonwealth has inclined the Sri Lankan Government or companies
in Sri Lanka to favour the British against others in particular
contracts?
The Minister of State, Department for International Trade
(Lord Price) (Con): We believe that there are extensive
opportunities to improve trade throughout the Commonwealth, and
that is what our meeting next week is going to draw out. The
Prime Minister has already announced working groups with
Australia, New Zealand and India. We want to work with all 52
countries in the Commonwealth on how we can drive forward the
best possible trading relationships. There are many ways that can
be done. They can be unilateral arrangements; they can be EPAs or
FTAs. We need to consider for each country what is in their best
economic interests and those of the Commonwealth.
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Extract from report
stage (Lords) (day 2) of the Neighbourhood Planning Bill
(CB):...I came to
this country as a 19 year-old student from India and remember my
first evening here, staying at the Indian YMCA in Fitzroy Square
in London. Opposite was the White Horse pub. That was my
induction to Britain. Pubs are a way of life in this country. I
have been lobbied and lobbied by various organisations, including
two of the most prominent associations in our industry. The
British Beer and Pub Association, or BBPA, represents companies
that between them own 20,000 pubs and brew more than 90% of the
beer sold in the UK. The ownership ranges from UK plcs, large
companies such as my joint venture partner Molson Coors,
privately owned companies, independent family brewers,
microbrewers and divisions of international brewers. The
association is campaigning to support a thriving brewing and pub
industry in the UK. After all, pubs are at the heart of our
community...
Extracts from
Westminster Hall debate on CSC: Redundancies
(Chesterfield)
(Lab):...Although the tale of CSC’s recent past includes
rounds of redundancies, lost contracts, service failures and
missed profit targets, followed by further redundancies and the
whole cycle repeating itself, one area of CSC’s business has
seemed to grow. Many Government contracts paid for by UK tax
money are now being serviced by huge offshoring operations
in India. An article on CSC’s own website
describes how 25% to 30% of its global employees are now employed
in India. There is a question for us in the
House about how much GDP the UK is losing by allowing the
Government to outsource work to an American company that then
effectively lays off UK staff in order to provide services to the
UK Government from India...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy (Margot James):...I thank
the right hon. Gentleman, because I note that the hon. Member for
Chesterfield said in his opening remarks that a lot of jobs had
gone offshore to India. The Government have to be cautious in
how we respond to that. Business change is an inevitable
consequence, and it is not for the Government to direct companies
as to how they fulfil their contracts. Unless contracts have
certain stipulations within them from the outset, it is difficult
for a Government to intervene. Once those contracts have been
agreed, it is for the company to fulfil that contract and
organise itself in the best way possible.
Having said that, I will say a couple of words about how the
Government view public sector contracting. I am responsible for
small business, and I am conscious that the Government have set a
target that a third of all public sector contracts of a decent
size should go to small and medium-sized enterprises. In
committing ourselves to that goal, I do not think we meant SMEs
in India; I think we meant SMEs in the United
Kingdom. Members raise pertinent points. However, once a contract
is agreed, if it does not have stipulations on the supply chain,
how the company fulfils the contract using its own employees and
where those employees are located, it is difficult to intervene
part way through...
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