WOOL TEXTILE INDUSTRY (EXPORT PROMOTION LEVY) (AMENDMENT No. 3) ORDER, 1956. (Hansard, 19 July 1956)

§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (LORD MANCROFT)

My Lords, this Order and the second one standing in my name on the Order Paper hang together, and, with 1284 your Lordships' permission, I will deal with them together. The purpose of the Orders is further to amend those which are at present in force under the Industrial Organisation and Development Act, 1947. From their inception the main Orders have contained an exemption under which very small-scale suppliers of wool fibre are exempted from payment of contributions where the quantity of wool supplied by them averages less than 100 lb. per day. The purpose of the Amendment Orders is to give exemption to users of wool whose consumption averages 25 lb. of wool per day, or less. The effect of these Amendment Orders will be that about fifty firms now making very small payments under the Levy Orders may qualify for exemption. The expected reduction in yield on the Scientific Research Levy will be about £20 to £25 and for the Export Promotion Levy about £15 for each of the six-months periods for which the Levy is collected. These sums are trivial in relation to the total amount of about £135,000 for the two Levies over the same period. Both the principle of the exemptions and their level is supported by the trading associations, including the Wool Textile Delegation and the trade unions in the industry. I beg to move.

§ LORD BARNBY

My Lords, I should like to take this opportunity of drawing attention to the gratification which the Government must feel at the working of these Levies, which were introduced under Section 9 of the Industrial Organisation Act. The fact that the Government had the courage to support legislation which made these Levies statutory—and thereby provided funds to the great advantage of employment in this particular industry, as compared with conditions under the earlier system of a voluntary levy, which had all the disadvantages of placing the burden on the willing horses—and that they introduced the two Acts under which these two Orders are moved, must be gratifying to them. Their action has brought great advantage to employment in the industry.