Gordon Brown’s Re-organisation of Ministries – BPF Comments

On Thursday 28th June, the new Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced his Cabinet and changes to the Ministries which affect Business.

The DTI has been replaced by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) under Secretary of state John Hutton M.P. Before becoming an M.P. Hutton was a Polytechnic Lecturer.

A new Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has taken over the DTI Science and Innovation section, and skills department from the now defunct Department for Education and Skills.  The secretary of state is John Denham M.P.

Peter Davis, Director General of the British Plastics Federation criticised the long, unmemorable names of the new Ministries, but welcomed the retention of strong department for business, which seeks a deeper more effective engagement with industry.

“We hope John Hutton is the big Hitter needed to fight for manufacturing at the Cabinet table”.  “I am glad that the new department has retained control of energy policy, but de-regulation, reducing cost and bureaucracy for business must be a key task”.

The Government also announced the creation of a Business Council for Britain composed of ‘senior business leaders’.

Peter Davis welcomed this but “hoped that large and small firms in manufacturing would be represented on the council and not the usual stooges from the CBI, Trade Unions and supermarkets”.

Davis also welcomed the new department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.  “It’s an urgent priority to raise the skills of our workforce and increase business innovation.  This new department should strengthen the work of Cogent on skills in the plastics industry, and of the Polymer Innovation Network (formerly Faraday Plastics) on business research and innovation”.

“We had written in May as the Eight Association’s Alliance to Alistair Darling, the former Trade Secretary, calling for the retention of a strong industry department and for Energy not to go to Defra.  We are pleased our letter had an impact”.

…..ends……..

For further information on this press release, please contact Thom Lant, British Plastics Federation, 6 Bath Place, Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3JE, tel 020 7457 5001, fax 020 7457 5045, email: [email protected]

Notes for editors

1) British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the plastics industry – representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers

2) The Eight Associations are:

British Plastics Federation, BPF

British Rubber & Polyurethane Products Association, BRPPA

British Coatings Federation, BCF

Packaging & Films Association, PAFA

Gauge & Toolmakers Association, GTMA

Polymer Machinery Manufacturers & Distributors Association, PMMDA

Scottish Plastics & Rubber Association, SPRA

Northern Ireland Polymers Association, NIPA