Employment Policy Priorities

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Education and Employment – in the House of Commons am 1:46 pm ar 21 Chwefror 1996.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Mrs Gillian Shephard Mrs Gillian Shephard Secretary of State for Education and Employment 1:46, 21 Chwefror 1996

Opposition Members like to make much of what they call an insecure jobs market dominated by temporary and part-time work. Such a description of our jobs market is nonsense. Socialist Spain, which embraces the social chapter and the national minimum wage—policies that the hon. Gentleman would be keen to adopt—has nearly six times as many people in temporary work as Britain. Opposition Members must learn to strike a balance between employees' rights and the risk of deterring job creation. The hon. Gentleman's recent press release came second as silliest of the year. It not only sought to compare like with unlike, but contained two spelling mistakes and a curious new definition of the OECD. Perhaps that is to be expected from Opposition Front Benchers.