Between March and May 2009 MPs and Members of the Lords considered the Industry and Exports (Financial Support) Bill, demonstrating that Parliament maintains a close interest in UK industry during a challenging economic period.
The Bill had two amending purposes. One was to raise the financial ceiling on support to industry outside assisted areas allowed under the Industrial Development Act 1982, and the second was to widen the support allowed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department under the Export and Investment Guarantees Act 1991.
Consideration of the Bill - which had just three clauses - also demonstrated how quickly Parliament could react to economic circumstances. It progressed quickly through the House of Commons, with subsequent stages after the Second Reading being taken on the same day, and then in the House of Lords.
The Bill was set against a background of economic difficulty with the UK in a recession, experiencing falling employment and declining output in the manufacturing sector in particular.