Oral Answers to Questions

James Morris Excerpts

Wednesday 2nd March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Alec Shelbrooke (Elmet and Rothwell) (Con)]

9. What steps he is taking to make Government procurement simpler for small and medium-sized enterprises.

[James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis) (Con)]

11. What steps he is taking to make Government procurement simpler for small and medium-sized enterprises.

[Margot James (Stourbridge) (Con)]

12. What steps he is taking to make Government procurement simpler for small and medium-sized enterprises.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Letwin]

My hon. Friend raises another extremely important question. It is emphatically not the Government’s intention to subsidise small and medium-sized enterprises through the contracting process, but rather to enable Government to be more efficient by promoting the kind of innovation that SMEs so frequently bring to the work they do. Our feeling is that if we get locked into contracts merely with very large suppliers, we often lose that innovation, and we are determined to avoid that result.

[James Morris]

SMEs are vital to the black country economy. What is the Minister doing to ensure that small and medium-sized companies in places such as the black country can compete for Government contracts on a level playing field?

[Mr Letwin]

Again, that is an enormously important question. One of the purposes behind our move to spread contracting to SMEs is precisely to ensure that we do not get such an unbalanced economy. We want to reach out to firms that have the best propositions—often, small and medium-sized firms—in parts of the country where there are not major contractors who do much business with Government. We believe that that is a good way of helping to build the economies, and enterprise and innovation, in those areas of our country.