Ben Bradshaw, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, spoke exclusively to iVillage.co.uk about the state of the British fashion industry, the 'size zero' debate and his own fashion tastes

Which designers do you particularly look out for and why?

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Ben Bradshaw: I'm always particularly interested in seeing the exciting creativity of the younger designers like James and Carolyn. Carolyn is from the West Country - where I have my constituency - so there's an additional reason for my interest.

There has been some negative press relating to allegations of routine and widespread sexual abuse of young fashion models - both male and female - recently. Is the fashion industry in a state of denial and too introspective?

Ben Bradshaw: It is undoubtedly a grave concern when reports emerge about abuse of young people in any environment. I would expect any such reports to be fully investigated and look to the fashion industry to ensure this happens.

What do you think the minimum legal age of a catwalk model should be?

Ben Bradshaw: I don't think it is for Ministers to determine the minimum age of a catwalk model. What we have to do is to make sure that there is a framework in place to support any children who are working.

Government has set down regulation for children in employment and I am confident that these regulations are being adhered to by the fashion industry in the UK.

These are the type of issues that the industry and parents should have responsibility for and so I welcome the work that the British Fashion Council has done to limit the age of models at London Fashion Week to those who are 16 and over.

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