National Business Awards - Celebrating UK business excellence
Rt. Hon. Lord Mandelson, First Secretary of State, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills, Lord President of the Council
Grosvenor House, London, 18 November 2008
Good evening. Your Royal Highness, My Lords, ladies and gentlemen, I feel rather as I did when I was selected as a parliamentary candidate and the Chairman said “Do you want to speak now or should we let people carry on enjoying themselves?”
It’s an honour to be here tonight to celebrate the very best of British business.
I’m sorry to be late, but I’ve been in the office discussing what we can do to get through these difficult times and come out stronger on the other side.
Sadly, after my slightly inadvertent boasting on the TV, I fear I am unable to stay for the dancing later, so I won’t be showing off any of my new John Sergeant inspired moves after the awards.
I can see Andrew down there shouting “shame!” Andrew, can you samba as well as John? Is that a prerequisite for advancement at the BBC now?
But I am pleased to see represented here some of our most enterprising companies, successful organisations and innovative employers. And in recognising their achievements here, I’m reminded of a story about one of the Grosvenor Family - this building’s former owners.
While staying in Paris in the 1920s, the Second Duke of that family, the Duke of Westminster had a late night craving for some fruit. The hotel’s management desperate to meet his whim sent out a waiter. All the shops were closed, but the waiter was warned he would be sacked immediately if he failed to bring back some fruit. Desperate, the waiter threw a rock through the window of a closed grocery store, grabbed some fruit and ran back to the hotel.
Although I am not in favour, and in no way advocate the harsh fruit-led employment practices of yesteryear, I think it’s good to know that the waiter - Mr George Orwell, went on to bigger and better things.
You do not need me to tell you that these are tough times for business. As the global credit crunch continues to impact companies, industries and households across the world, we do need I think bold new thinking and approaches to help us tackle this global crisis. We don’t have time to put this off. The economy needs real help now to come through this stronger and sooner.
That’s why our Government - your Government - is committed to help businesses weather the worst of the storm, and to create the right conditions that will foster their competitiveness and success in the future.
Incidentally, when I talk about competitiveness in this country and think about engineering, we have to do more than financial engineering.
When I became Secretary of State, I put my department on the equivalent of an economic war footing. Our Action Programme for Business has already delivered a package of measures focussed on supporting small businesses in the areas they told us matter - in their cash flow, their access to finance and skills.
The Government has tried to teach itself a lesson and in the process set an example. Government has set a 10-day target to pay our own bills, boosting cash flow for the many companies operating in the public sector supply-chain. We’re working closely - and determinedly, I might say - with the banks to ensure businesses can access the finance they need to survive and grow. Not an easy job, but one I’m going to continue doing with dedication and determination.
Smaller businesses are the focus of £350 million of Government funds to help them train their workforce. And we will continue to do all we can to help business and individuals succeed, as you will see when the Chancellor presents his PBR next Monday.
The knowledge, talent and enterprise from every sector that’s on display tonight show us the strong economic base on which we can build our future success and prosperity as a nation; these assets emphasise the confidence we can have in our future.
These assets include the millions of small businesses that drive our economy, contribute 50% of the UK’s output and employ over 13 and half million people. And our asset, too, in the UK’s high-value manufacturing base, this sector generates £150 billion for our economy every year and produces over half our exports.
That is the value of precision engineering.
The UK is a market open to investment and ideas, with a strong content and creative industries sector and one of world’s most competitive communications industries.
We’re a base for global businesses and expertise. And we will always strive to be the best place for the world to do business.
And that means promoting enterprise. It means simplifying business support and eliminating unnecessary red-tape.
And as my Department is sponsoring tonight’s Better Regulation Award, I’d like quickly to talk about the progress we’re making in this area. We’re actually on target to cut administrative burdens on companies by 25% by 2010; delivering £3.5 billion worth of savings for business every year. Resources, companies and employers will be able to focus on developing innovative solutions for their future without the same regulatory and administrative burden it might otherwise have been.
This award recognises the best suggestions for simplification put forward by business and enacted by Government, and in the weeks and months ahead, I want more businesses to send us their ideas and work with us to cut red tape.
You’ve no doubt heard many politicians say “Send in your ideas” and then you never hear from them again. But I will do my best to deliver real changes, real reforms.
I’m also pleased Government is sponsoring tonight’s Health Work and Well-being Awards – including this year’s new award for small businesses.
As these finalists demonstrate, those investing in health of their employees are investing in the health of their bottom line. From reduced absence and lower staff turnover to improved productivity and profitability, the message is clear - good health is good business.
Tonight, we’ll hear from companies, organisations, entrepreneurs and employers across the UK making the most of new technologies and opportunities not just in this country, but across the world.
I want to wish everyone nominated for these awards the very best of luck this evening. Because it’s your kind of inventiveness, your kind of resilience and tenacity that will not only help the UK get through the tough times ahead, but to grow and prosper as we take advantage of the upturn to come.
That’s what we should not lose sight of as in the meantime we have a great meal, a great prize-giving and a great evening here tonight.