§ Q1. Mr. Meacherasked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to Chadderton, Lancashire.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Edward Heath)I have at present no plans to do so.
§ Mr. MeacherIs the Prime Minister aware that there is the most acute concern in Lancashire that entry into the Common Market will cause a flood of cheap cotton yarn imports and that this will gravely threaten 30,000 jobs in the spinning industry? Have not the Government already decided to sacrifice Lancashire interests purely as a bargaining counter in the wider negotiations?
§ The Prime MinisterThe hon. Gentleman could not be more wrong, and he is quite unjustified in raising fears of that kind. The present situation is that the Government have taken action to have both a system of quantitative restrictions and the tariff at the same time. This will be of great benefit to the textile areas. The Community also has its own protection against low-cost imports and obviously when we become a member we shall share that same position.
§ Mr. Meacher indicated dissent.
§ The Prime MinisterIf the hon. Gentleman shakes his head he had better look at the proportion of imported textiles in the Community compared with the percentage in this country. Here the figure is at least three times as high. The Community protects its own industries in this way.
§ Mr. WilkinsonIs my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister aware that on the textile scene on the other side of the Pennines, Britain's entry into the Common Market is very warmly anticipated? As for a visit by my right hon. Friend to Chadderton, would he not be very welcome there because the order for an extra squadron of Nimrods will considerably improve the employment situation.
§ The Prime MinisterI entirely agree with my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisIf the Prime Minister contends that my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West (Mr. 1620 Meacher) is wrong, can he indicate what consultations took place with the British textile industry to protect it over yarn imports?
§ The Prime MinisterI have said that we are satisfied with the Community arrangements. The British textile industry will not suffer from the exaggerated fears that the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) has been trying to instil.