Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) (Amendment) Regulations 2008

Thank you, my Lords; that is a lot of pieces of paper. Can the department recycle the forms, or are they now just waste paper? More seriously, the Minister explained—although I am not sure that I followed the division of responsibilities—why he, as a DWP Minister moved the amendments to the regulations, as opposed to a Minister from DBERR. Has the Minister seen today’s Independent, which has the dramatic headline, ““Mandelson halts flexitime reforms”” or the nasty little spat that has blown up between him and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, reported in today’s Evening Standard? This measure, which we support, is very much of a piece with other measures which are family friendly, but are a cost to business. The noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, is today quoted as saying that the Government are searching for ways to help businesses to survive the downturn and are looking to postpone measures such as extending paid maternity leave, an extra bank holiday and, indeed, family-friendly working. Has he cleared this measure with the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson? Does support for business come first, as the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, is briefing the press? Obviously, in this case we would not be doing things like this which will cost business about £14 million a year more, or is family-friendly working the priority, as Yvette Cooper insists?