§ 20. Mr. Fletcher-Cookeasked the President of the Board of Trade what negotiations he is conducting with overseas countries concerning the renewal of their quotas for textile goods after the expiry of the present arrangements.
§ Mr. CroslandNone, Sir; the Cotton Textiles Agreement does not expire until 30th September, 1970. The G.A.T.T. Cotton Textiles Committee will be meeting this autumn to decide whether or not to extend the Agreement for a further period, and I shall meanwhile be considering the Government's policy in the light of the Textile Council's Productivity and Efficiency Study.
§ Mr. Fletcher-CookeWhen we last discussed it, the President of the Board of Trade accepted that there was some urgency in the matter. Is it not surprising, therefore, that his Answer today shows that he is not conducting any negotiations? Is not the right hon. Gentleman in danger of getting up against the buffers of time unless he gets on with it?
§ Mr. CroslandWe must all be wary of coming up against the buffers of time. I have repeatedly said that I would not consider a future long-term policy for imports until I had had the productivity and efficiency study. We shall have this within a matter of days. Of course we must pay close attention to the timetable, but the present quota system under which the industry is operating does not run out until the end of 970, and so we still have two years to consider the matter.
§ Mr. Arthur DavidsonWould not my right hon. Friend agree that the cotton textile industry would have more confidence in the review which he has mentioned if it knew what sort of market it had to cater for after 1970? Should it not at least appear to everybody that the review is taking that into consideration?
§ Mr. CroslandThere is not the slightest doubt that the productivity and efficiency study will contain a long and thorough analysis of the present place of imports in the industry and the rôle they should play in future.