HC Deb 14 April 1981 vol 3 cc151-2
Mr. Jack Straw (Blackburn)

I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the failure of Her Majesty's Government to take effective action against subsidised man-made fibre and textile imports from the United States and the resulting closure of the Roe Lee mill, Blackburn, with the loss of 320 jobs. Imports of man-made fibres and products, clothing and textiles, have increased in some sectors by seven times over the past 18 months, as United States producers enjoy a wholly unjustified and unfair competitive advantage over all European producers, because of the way in which the prices of natural gas and oil are held down by regulation in the United States.

We have raised this subject repeatedly in the House. On 15 December 1980 the Minister for Trade announced that there would be negotiations, on behalf of the Government, by the EEC Commission with the United States Administration. In reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwood (Mr. Fraser), the Minister said: If the initiative fails, we have open to us a range of options under Article XIX of GATT and elsewhere. We would consider those in the light of any failure."—[Official Report, 15 December 1980; Vol. 996, c. 49–50.] In the four months that have followed it is plain that there has been a major failure and breakdown of those negotiations. Yesterday the Minister for Trade made an announcement about the failure of those negotiations. I cannot quote what was said, because Hansard was printed backwards on that page. However, I have read it in the mirror in the cloakroom outside. The Minister for Trade said that he would not take further action, despite the breakdown of those negotiations.

The importance of the matter is that the continuing failure of the Government to take effective action against United States imports is leading to a haemorrhaging of the textile and clothing industry—especially those sectors that use man-made fibres and textiles. One example—this is a sorry tale—is the Carrington Viyella factory, in my constituency, known as the Roe Lee mill, which has announced its closure with a loss of 320 jobs. It is a double tragedy, for although the factory went on short-time working earlier in the year it went back to full-time working about a month ago. It has all the orders that it can cope with, but it cannot meet competition from the Americans on price.

Unless there is urgent Government action to halt or stem the flood of imports, the man-made fibres industry will bleed to death. Hon. Members who doubt that should be aware that there has been a 50 per cent. drop in output of man-made fibres in one year.

The time has come for firm Government action and for an end to the smooth talk and honeyed words of the Secretary of State for Trade and his colleagues. The Opposition demand that the matter should be debated forthwith.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) gave me notice this morning before 12 o'clock that he would seek leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 9 to discuss the failure of Her Majesty's Government to take effective action against subsidised man-made fibre and textile imports from the United States and the resulting closure of Roe Lee mill, Blackburn, with the loss of 320 jobs. I listened, as the House will have listened, with deep concern to what the hon. Gentleman said about the fibre industry and the textile industry in general. The House is aware that I do not decide whether this important matter is to be debated. I merely decide whether it is of such a character that it must be debated tonight or tommorow night. The House has put that restriction upon me. It has also put a further restriction on me that I do not give reasons for my decision.

I listened with care, but I must rule that the hon. Gentleman's submission does not fall within the provisions of the Standing Order, and therefore I cannot submit his application to the House.