BURNLEY MP Kitty Ussher was today moving to protect manufacturing jobs in the town by taking her own Bill to Parliament.

She wants the law to be changed so that government research departments are bound by law to help smaller firms.

And the Labour backbencher claimed that would benefit thousands of employees in her constituency.

She said: "Smaller high tech manufacturing firms, such as those in the Digital Technology Centre on the old Michelin site, would benefit from having greater access to government research contracts.

"That's why I'm putting forward legislation to require all government departments by law to set aside some of their research budgets to help smaller companies.

"There are 8,700 people working in manufacturing in my constituency, one in four of our workforce, and I want to make sure that the government helps these firms succeed.

"Already, Burnley manufacturing companies can get free advice and support from the government's Manufacturing Advisory Service but the Ministry of Defence spends £3.1billion on research, the Department of Trade and Industry spends £1 billion and the Department of Health £604million. And it's time we in Burnley got a larger slice of that cake."

Mrs Ussher's Bill is called the Procurement of Innovative Technologies and Research Bill. It would require by law that: l Government departments will at twice-yearly intervals, and over the web, define their requirements for innovative new technologies.

l Small businesses would then be invited to bid for "innovation contracts" of up to half a million pounds in value to develop and trial technologies capable of meeting those requirements.

l Unlike elsewhere in government the procurement process would be streamlined, standardised, and rapid.

The Bill has already attracted support. A letter in the Financial Times from 13 leading scientists, venture capitalists and industrialists from across the UK supported Kitty Ussher's proposal.

And 80 MPs from all political parties have signed her "Early Day Motion" a type of parliamentary petition on the same subject.