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Mr. David Heath: Has the Minister's Department considered the potential of lottery terminals which, for better or worse, are in many shops nowadays? They are an underused information technology connection which could provide a much wider shop floor to isolated or small shops. Is that something her Department has considered?
Mrs. Roche: No, but I was about to say that in our manifesto and in the documents on the small firms sector that we produced in the run-up to the general election we discussed our ideas for what we called the enterprise zone, whereby small and medium-sized enterprises could be put on-line with a dedicated site on the Internet. In that way, small businesses would have access to information that might be of great use to them. If the hon. Gentleman will write to me on that subject, I shall be only too pleased to consider his comments and bring them to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for National Heritage. Plans for the enterprise zone are under way and the hon. Gentleman may find the proposals of great interest when they are launched.
The Government are also pushing forward with help for small retailers in respect of training. Advice and support are, of course, available to all firms through
training and enterprise councils--local enterprise companies in Scotland--and business links. Small firms may receive assistance to improve their in-house capacity to train or to work towards the investors in people standard. We certainly want to see more initiatives to help the independent owner-manager, because in the past owner-managers have been somewhat left out of some of the training initiatives. As the Minister responsible for small firms, I am concerned to ensure that we do not forget the training and skills that owner-managers wish to acquire as their businesses grow and prosper and they want to move forward.
A number of projects are already examining the needs of small retailers. Five projects involving groups of small retailers, under the skills challenge, are nearing completion. Meanwhile, a management development project currently under way in Lincoln aims to design and deliver a retail management development programme for owner-managers of small retail outlets. The programme also involves branch managers of larger retail organisations in Lincoln and the surrounding areas. The programme draws on sector standards and aims to improve the competence of the participants, thereby helping them to improve the performance and competitiveness of their stores. I welcome such projects. There is much to be gained in retailing and other aspects of business life from small and large firms working together for their mutual advantage.
We have had a very good debate today, although it is difficult to do full justice to the importance of the independent retail sector in such a short time. I nevertheless thank the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire for bringing the subject to the House today; I also thank other hon. Members for their positive contributions.
I hope that I have shown that the Government are already taking action to help small retail shops and are determined to push on by tackling other areas such as business rates. That will involve many Departments working together in the type of co-operative initiative for which the hon. Gentleman has called. We shall make sure that that co-operation is enhanced; our response to the EU Green Paper on commerce gives us the context in which to do that.
On resuming--
Mr. Peter Lilley (Hitchin and Harpenden):
On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. May I draw to your attention a very serious matter relating to the deliberate release of information about the contents of the Budget to journalists before the Budget has been delivered to the House? Can you confirm that the last time that a Labour
Earlier today, I was contacted by journalists who told me that they had received explicit confirmation from the Treasury that the Budget would, among other things, include the abolition of tax relief on private medical care for the half a million elderly people in this country who provide for themselves. There is, I think, no precedent for the Treasury giving such advance briefing on such matters, and in today's Financial Times there is a statement that, following market stories about the possible abolition of advance corporation tax credit,
Mr. William Cash (Stone):
Further to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. On the occasion in 1947 when something similar occurred--leading to the resignation of Sir Hugh Dalton--subsequent to the matter being raised in the House a Select Committee on the Budget Disclosure was set up. As things develop today, as the information becomes clearer, would you not accept that that course should be followed and that the matter should be thoroughly investigated, because this is not only a matter which affects the markets but a great contempt of the House?
Mr. Denis MacShane (Rotherham):
Further to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. You may recall that in September 1996 it was widely leaked in the press that profit-related pay would be phased out in the November Budget--which did happen--allowing a large number of companies to set up PRP scams before the Budget. No disciplinary action was taken against the Ministers responsible and no investigation was undertaken by the House or by the Treasury. This is synthetic froth; the House should get on to the debate.
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Sir Alan Haselhurst):
First of all, it is not the responsibility of the Chair to rule on matters which occurred in the past. As to the present matter, it seems to me that it is a Government matter and not one on which the Chair can rule as to what has happened. Ministers will have heard what has been said and doubtless there will be opportunities, today or subsequently, for further comment on the matter.
Sir Patrick Cormack (South Staffordshire):
On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. You will be presiding over
Mr. Deputy Speaker:
I do not believe that this is a matter on which the Chair can rule. If the alleged leak has taken place, it is a matter for the Government to pursue; it is for the Chair to determine that the Budget statement will still be delivered in the normal way.
Mr. Lilley:
Further to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I entirely accept that this is a matter relating to the Government, in that the Government are the culprits, but the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford--
Mr. Lilley:
I am sorry. The point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Stone (Mr. Cash) was that on previous occasions such things have been dealt with as a matter for the House and investigated by a Select Committee of the House. Surely it would be appropriate to consider whether we should take similar procedures on
Mr. Dale Campbell-Savours (Workington):
Further to that point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. What is the position? No allegation has been made by a member of the Opposition that the Chancellor of the Exchequer leaked the Budget. That has not been alleged. What has been alleged is that some minor official in the Treasury may have made a statement that was subsequently commented on by a member--possibly--of the Government to a journalist. In other words, we have a series of hearsay statements which the Opposition are seeking to turn into a major scandal. They will fail.
"A senior member of the government said: 'The markets are bonkers . . . we are pressing ahead.'"
This is, of course, an extremely market-sensitive matter, as well as a matter affecting the authority of the House. Can you confirm that when, in the past, the contents of Budgets have been leaked by those who have not been authorised to do so, there have been police investigations of the matter? Would it not be appropriate in this case that you or Madam Speaker authorise an investigation, establish who is the
"senior member of the Government"
who has been leaking matters to the press on highly price-sensitive issues, have them brought to the House and have the details of your investigation brought to the House, so that we may know why the Treasury is now behaving in such an extraordinary fashion for which there is no satisfactory precedent?
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