First, I apologise for the fact that I have been abroad and therefore not able to follow that part of the Bill that has gone through since I last spent time on it.
On these amendments, I also declare an interest as the founder of a successful small business and as having worked in other successful small businesses. I have to say to my noble friend that I cannot imagine any circumstances whatever in which this would be of any use to any business that I have ever come across in my entire life. One of the problems with government is that not many people who run businesses are in it. I can genuinely say that in 16 years as a Minister, I was one of the few people who had run a big business. Since ceasing to be a Minister, I have run a number of small businesses which are happily getting larger. That is the right way round.
I hope that the Government will take this opportunity to explain in detail why these changes, which are now open to businesses, will be of help. I have not found any businesses that thought that they would be of help. Having explained that, perhaps my noble friend would be kind enough to explain why, if the changes are good in these circumstances, they are not done for everybody. If there really is a huge advantage that would make lots more new jobs, perhaps the proposal is rather limited. I do not think the Government think that, otherwise they would not have limited it in this way.
5.30 pm
My problem—and this is why these are very useful amendments—is that difficulties can arise because some employment law is complex. Surely the answer is to deal with employment law as whole, try to make it simpler, remove the anomalies and face up to some of the real difficulties. I speak as someone who, in a relatively small business, had five people on maternity leave at the same time. I do not think that it was the fault of anybody in the business that that happened, but it had an impact. It is very hard indeed for a small business to handle. However, if I were setting up my business again, I certainly would not do it on this basis. I would not take on anybody without proper protection. I have always found it better to be more generous than absolutely necessary by law in the provision one makes. I want a business in which people feel they will have a real say and will play a real part.
I suppose this is a plea, really; I do not understand the connection. I have thought hard about it but I do not see it. Unless the Government can explain the connection—and the amendments in this group enable the connection to be made—I do not know what this proposal is doing in this Bill. I do not know where it comes from and I do not see the need for it. For me, this is the most mystifying moment of a pretty mystifying Bill. This particular moment is more mystifying than others.
I say that as somebody who is entrepreneurial, works hard, believes in capitalism and deeply disagrees with some of the words in the other parallel Bill where I have had to deal with the terribly old fashioned trades union approaches that sounded as if they were coming from 1945—