Speeches by Gibson.

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Vaz. I will speak principally to our amendment 5, but Opposition amendment 155 is also relevant. We broadly welcome the Government’s intention to clarify some issues around probation. However, we feel that these measures will make it too difficult for small business…”

“I share some of the shadow Minister’s concerns. Consultation to find out what most concerns businesses is obviously commendable, but if a large amount of the Bill is left to secondary legislation, a lot of it will not come back before the whole House for scrutiny. Can we be assured that decisions that are not taken bef…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Dundee Central for tabling the amendment, which has drawn out a potential loophole that I hope the Government will look at carefully. We so often see legislation introduced with good intentions, and then 90% of businesses—especially smaller businesses—comply with it to the letter, because th…”

“Small businesses are at the heart of our local communities. Firms such as Carbon ThreeSixty in my constituency are cutting-edge manufacturers of carbon fibre products. However, its growth as a small business is seriously affected by its ability to attract and retain quality staff, predominantly because of the poor publ…”

“Tomorrow—on Friday the 13th—the EU’s general product safety regulation comes into effect. Businesses are telling me that the additional costs will mean that they can no longer sell to the EU and to Northern Ireland. What steps is the Department taking to ensure that small businesses are supported as the regulation come…”

“I am happy not to press amendment 5.”

“Can I ask a quick follow-up question on that?”

“James Gray also mentioned the distance. Is the distance between us going to the Arctic as opposed to us going to the Antarctic a serious additional cost? Also, when is that ship likely to go north again?”

“Can I ask a quick follow-up question on that?”

“Can I ask a quick follow-up question on that?”

“James Gray mentioned earlier that he felt, perhaps in his slightly more conflicted views, that perhaps there was too much money for Antarctica compared with the Arctic. How do you feel the about balance between Antarctic and Arctic research?”

“James Gray mentioned earlier that he felt, perhaps in his slightly more conflicted views, that perhaps there was too much money for Antarctica compared with the Arctic. How do you feel the about balance between Antarctic and Arctic research?”

“James Gray also mentioned the distance. Is the distance between us going to the Arctic as opposed to us going to the Antarctic a serious additional cost? Also, when is that ship likely to go north again?”

“James Gray also mentioned the distance. Is the distance between us going to the Arctic as opposed to us going to the Antarctic a serious additional cost? Also, when is that ship likely to go north again?”

“James Gray mentioned earlier that he felt, perhaps in his slightly more conflicted views, that perhaps there was too much money for Antarctica compared with the Arctic. How do you feel the about balance between Antarctic and Arctic research?”

“Will the shadow Minister give way?”

“The reason for leaving it at 250 employees, despite a thought among Opposition Members that it should be extended to 500, is that, currently, small and medium-sized businesses are classified as having up to 249 employees. Larger businesses, which will undoubtedly have the infrastructure, should be able to publish the i…”

“Will the hon. Member give way?”

“Given the Liberal Democrat new clauses we discussed earlier, it is clear that we welcome any flexibility that encourages paternity leave and allows parents to share the leave in an equal and welcoming way. Therefore, we welcome this clause.”

“We are happy not to press either amendment 163 or new clause 41, but I ask the Minister to meet us before Report so that we can introduce some, if not all, of the measures in them, and particularly those in amendment 163. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Question proposed, T…”