Submit your views on outsourcing to Commons Committee

Freelancers in the UKTECH network are invited to put forward their views on the impact of outsourcing on the UK's knowledge-based economy as part of an inquiry by the influential Trade and Industry Select Committee.

The Committee intends to review progress since the publication of the Government's White Paper 'Our Competitive future: Building the Knowledge Driven Economy' in 1998.

The Committee is specifically inviting views on the UK's responses to the main challenges identified at the time, namely:

• Increased competition from low-cost economies using new technologies, highly educated and skilled workforces and mobile capital;
  
• The development of new products, processes and services;
  
• The introduction of electronic commerce; and
  
• The development of science and knowledge bases to underpin the new technologies available to industry.

In the White Paper, the Government set out its strategy to enhance UK competitiveness and maximise its share of twenty first century markets.

At the time, the Government identified the need for the UK to respond to the challenge of the development of increasingly sophisticated international markets which required innovative and high quality products and services. The White Paper contained 75 commitments by Government which were designed to help close the performance gap between the UK and its major competitors and to measure progress towards that goal.

Members of the Committee are:

• Mr Martin O'Neill MP (Chairman) (Lab, Ochil);
  
• Dr Ashok Kumar MP (Lab, Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland);
  
• Mr Henry Bellingham MP (Con, North West Norfolk);
  
• Mr Andrew Lansley, MP (Con, Cambridgeshire South);
  
• Mr Roger Berry MP (Lab, Kingswood);
  
• Mrs Jackie Lawrence MP (Lab, Preseli, Pembrokeshire);
  
• Mr Richard Burden MP (Lab, Birmingham, Northfield);
  
• Mrs Linda Perham MP (Lab, Ilford North);
  
• Mr Jonathan Djanogly MP (Con, Huntingdon);
  
• Sir Robert Smith MP (Lib Dem, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine);
  
• Mr Lindsay Hoyle MP (Lab, Chorley).

UKTECH responses

I have spoken to the Select Committee and explained the wealth of knowledge and experience of these issues within the UKTECH network of freelancers.

They will accept a submission from UKTECH as part of their inquiry.

Anyone with views on the four points outlined above, should post their comments below. I will then pull them together and submit it to the Committee.

Written evidence on these or 'any related matters' is required by 28th November. The Committee will then invite some interested parties to give oral evidence before it in the New Year.

The Select Committee has the power to make recommendations to Government and the Government is required to respond to them.

UKTECH first carried news about this proposed inquiry in an article in August, see:

Commons Committee to look at Outsourcing

Large companies and other interested parties will almost certainly be submitting their views to the Committee.

Much has already been written on UKTECH about these issues. This is now an opportunity to feed those views into the decision-making process.