Public Services (Social Enterprise and Social Value) Bill

Baroness Primarolo Excerpts

Friday 19th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gyimah]

Does my hon. Friend think that the new version of the Bill should cover the qualifications to do with contracting? It is all well and good having a strategy that states that small businesses and social enterprises need to be considered, but the lengthy forms that they have to fill in and the qualification criteria are just as difficult a hurdle for them as being recognised in the first place.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

Order. When Members make interventions, could they please face the Chair because it is sometimes difficult for me to hear what is being said? It is not a private conversation between two Members; it needs to be recorded for Hansard.

[Mr Chope]

I am sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker. As a result of where some hon. Members are sitting, it may sometimes seem as though we are a cosy cabal, but we are not. We are trying to address our remarks to the wider world, and my hon. Friend the Member for East Surrey (Mr Gyimah) made an excellent point, which he also raised in his speech.

Under clause 3,

“The authority must consider how it might promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of the relevant area”.

I am glad that that will not be defined because it should be left to the individual procurers. I am not so sure about the requirement in subsection (4):

“The authority must consider whether to consult the persons (if any) for whom the authority is making provision in the exercise of that function.”

Again, there is no requirement that authorities should consult—they only have to consider whether to do that. However, that could be important.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jon Trickett (Hemsworth) (Lab)]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Pursuant to the point of order made earlier today by my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies), who, the House will recall, requested that a Minister be brought to the Dispatch Box immediately to explain the outrageous comments by the Prime Minister’s enterprise adviser, I understand that the adviser has been forced to resign or may even have been sacked. Can you ensure that a Minister appears at the Dispatch Box this afternoon to explain what has happened to the shambles of the Government’s enterprise policy, given what has happened today?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

As the hon. Gentleman knows, I have no power to compel a Minister to come to the Dispatch Box; nor have I received any notice of a statement. His point has been placed on the record. I am sure that those on the Treasury Bench have heard his comments. There is nothing further that I can do on that point.