§ Mr. Gordon Prentice (Pendle)I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing an urgent and important matter, namely,
the 574 redundancies announced in Pendle yesterday.Smith and Nephew is one of the largest employers in Pendle. Yesterday's decision to sack 574 people will reduce the work force by half in an area in which unemployment levels are already grotesquely high. We need to explore urgently any possible way of retrieving the position.The matter is specific. It involves a decision of Smith and Nephew to pull out of denim manufacturing completely. That means that, when the decision is taken through, Britain will no longer be capable of producing denim cloth. That is staggering when one considers the number of fashion products that are made from denim cloth. I am not necessarily talking about imports from the far east. Forty per cent. of imports of denim cloth into the United Kingdom come from the European Community—Germany and Ireland—and from other high-cost producers such as the United States.
Why are we faced with a further contraction of the textile industry in my constituency? The issue is of national significance. The redundancies will have a devastating impact locally, but they will have an enormous impact throughout Lancashire where the textile industry is losing the critical mass to continue as an effective manufacturing industry.
The matter is of national significance because it will cost the Exchequer £5,166,000 in dole payments and social security payments to offset the cost to people who were gainfully employed. It is also of national significance because it throws into high relief the supine attitude of the Government to protect the textile industry in the GATT negotiations and their complacency to allow a vital part of the manufacturing industry to go down the pan. That is an important reason why we should have an urgent debate on the matter.
§ Madam SpeakerThe hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 20, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely,
the 574 redundancies announced in Pendle yesterday.I have listened carefully to what the hon. Member has said about the decision of Smith and Nephew to close its denim-making plant at Colne, with the loss of 574 jobs. I have to give my decision without stating any reasons. I am afraid that I do not consider that the matter which the hon. Gentleman has raised is appropriate for discussion under Standing Order No. 20 and I cannot, therefore, submit his application to the House.