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Confident Consumers

I understand that the Department for Education and Skills is consulting on that. Also, one of the key elements of the fire service review is a preventive strategy whereby fire services work with local communities, community groups, local authorities and the voluntary and private sectors to improve fire prevention and knowledge of it. Both in opposition and government, I ran the campaign for the regulation of the security industry. The regulation of security companies operating in pubs, clubs and shops, and in the private and public sector, has resulted in new training for security staff and has led to many improvements. It has tackled organised crime’s attempts to infiltrate a legitimate industry, rooting out dangerous and violent criminals who were a direct risk to actual or potential customers. It has ensured that people have a career structure, are better trained and have an opportunity to work in a good industry, and it has protected good companies from cowboys. Sadly, the Conservatives, for 10 years in government, refused to support the campaign. The Government’s commitment to consumers is clear. We have a proud record of providing greater protection for consumers, appropriate regulation for business and tough action against rogues who bully and rip off some of the most vulnerable in society. Today, I want to set out how we take that work to the next level. Before I do so, let me make clear Labour’s manifesto commitment that we will"““continue to work to protect the rights of consumers””." It is a matter of record that the Conservative party proposed at the last election to axe 80 per cent. of the staff in the DTI, the very Department that deals with consumer affairs. It was not one of that party’s greater ideas. It is odds-on that we will see a flip-flop on the matter before too long. I am glad that the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk) is here today, and it was not until I saw him come into the Chamber that I realised that he would be answering for the Opposition. I notice that he has said a lot to the Federation of Small Businesses. He said:"““We need to have a radical rethink about this””—" the DTI—"““as far as I am concerned all options are on the table, including the abolition of the DTI.””" That was in March 2006. My worry was that he went on to say, after questioning that"““the SBS is one of those things that is very good at Westminster or Whitehall level but means diddly squat to someone trying to run a shop in the real world. ““" The Small Business Service was established because small business asked us to do it. Hundreds of millions of pounds of investment has seen growth of small and medium-sized enterprises in the economy at all levels. Under the Conservatives, a business failed every two minutes.