Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: Foreign Languages

Debate between Baroness Coussins and Baroness Wilcox

Thursday 28th June 2012 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Wilcox]

Right—information on the Export Communications Review, along with all other UKTI services, will be available at Olympic business-related events. Details of the help that will be available have already gone out. We certainly wish to use the opportunity to make sure that people from our small and medium-sized businesses meet as many people from foreign businesses as possible. We are very fortunate in this country in having a multicultural society—I think that in London alone more than 300 languages are spoken. Very often it is just a case of making sure that small and medium-sized businesses realise that there are agencies that can provide their employees with the languages that they need. It is not just a matter of a requirement to learn a language; understanding the culture of the country that you are going to is also important. The French that you speak needs to be not just the French that you learnt at school but the language of the culture. UK Trade and Investment goes into small businesses with a subsidised programme to help them understand how to take their products forward by making sure that they are aware of the culture of the country they are visiting.

[Baroness Coussins]

My Lords, does the Minister recognise the success of language NVQs in preparing students for using languages at work, especially in the SME sector? Will she undertake to meet her DfE colleagues to tell them how much UK businesses value these language NVQs and ask that these qualifications continue to count towards a school’s performance points for the EBacc after 2013?

[Baroness Wilcox]

I will certainly take up that suggestion from the noble Baroness.

Economy: Personal Debt

Debate between Baroness Coussins and Baroness Wilcox

Tuesday 3rd May 2011 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Wilcox]

My Lords, we can thank the Labour Government for allowing public borrowing to spiral out of control. This Government are facing some very difficult decisions in order to bring us back into line. No one likes the idea of putting our people in debt any more than they absolutely have to be. The noble Lord can be assured that we are looking at every possible way to stop interest rates spiralling out of control, otherwise we will find ourselves exactly where the Labour Government found themselves: out of control.

[Baroness Coussins]

My Lords, in the light of the OBR’s forecast on household debt, which it states will have increased substantially by 2015, how will the Government ensure that debt advice which is both free and independent continues to be accessible to the people who most need it? I declare an interest as president of the Money Advice Trust.

[Baroness Wilcox]

On 12 February, the Government announced continued funding of £27 million this year to maintain the service for debt advice in citizens advice bureaux and other independent advice agencies in England and Wales. We are working to put the future provision of debt advice on to a more sustainable footing, ensuring that consumers can access the support they need easily, and that the debt-advice services deliver the best possible value for money. Good advice is worth every penny we can possibly spend on it.

Consumer Credit

Debate between Baroness Coussins and Baroness Wilcox

Thursday 3rd February 2011 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Wilcox]

My Lords, there are enormous worries surrounding such debt. This is why the consumer credit and personal insolvency review is taking place. I am sure that the review would be open to hearing any evidence that the noble Lord might like to give. However, we cannot answer any questions now, until just before the Budget, so that will be in about April.

[Baroness Coussins]

Is the Minister aware of the independent research by Nottingham University, which forecasts that an extra 200,000 people will need help with their debts this year? Given the end of the Financial Inclusion Fund, and the reports that we have heard just this morning about the cuts to Citizens Advice, what help can the Government provide to ensure that the most vulnerable people get help and are kept out of the hands of loan sharks? I declare an interest as the president of the Money Advice Trust charity.

[Baroness Wilcox]

This Government, like the previous Government, are constantly trying to find ways to help people get the best possible information to make sure that the decisions they make lead to debts that they can fulfil. It is very difficult. This is why another review is taking place. We are looking yet again to see what we can do so that people do not have to go to loan sharks. However, I am worried about putting a cap on any of the very, very high interest rate products. At least we know that when people get into trouble they can come to us for help. Countries such as Germany and France capped at 25 per cent years ago. The problem is that there is no access for the very poorest people who need to borrow. It is important that they have access to some facility.