The British Fashion Industry (Hansard, 10 April 1986)

§ Baroness Lane-Fox
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, the Government consider that the British fashion industry has an important role to play in contributing to the prosperity of the British textile industry as a whole. We have therefore encouraged the British Fashion Council to pursue its activities in co-ordinating the promotion of British fashion. We are currently considering a report, which we commissioned from the British Clothing Industry Association, on the future role of the British Fashion Council. Government receptions have been held at Lancaster House and No. 10 Downing Street for overseas buyers, media representatives and UK designers participating in five successive British fashion weeks.

§ Baroness Lane-Fox
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that informative reply. May I further ask whether he would agree that it is a tribute to our training that London is the centre of fashion, sustained by the flair of the young designers, and that is what eventually turns the industry into a great earner of foreign currency? Does my noble friend agree that that deserves every bit of encouragement that we can give it?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I am very happy indeed to agree with my noble friend and to pay tribute to the success of the British fashion industry and wish it continuing success.

§ Lord Strabolgi
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that there have been rumours in the press that the Government are proposing to close down a good number of polytechnics and training colleges? If this is true, how does this equate with the Government's wish to expand the fashion industry?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I can tell the noble Lord that my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is announcing, or has announced this afternoon, that he intends within the next few months to introduce a £4½ million scheme to help centres of higher and further education to buy advanced textile and clothing machinery. Although all institutions running appropriate courses will be eligible to apply, we intend to concentrate assistance upon those universities, polytechnics and colleges that provide a particularly wide range of education in this area. The rate of grant will be 50 per cent. of equipment costs. I think that that gives the lie to the suggestion that we are running down education in this area.

§ Lord Glenamara
My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that, in spite of what the noble Baroness has just said, by far the most successful fashion school in Britain is in the polytechnic of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which is already making a useful contribution to our export earnings? In the cuts which the Government have announced that they will make in higher education numbers, will the noble Lord ensure that such excellent fashion schools are not decimated?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I have just informed the House of the extra money which is being made available for equipment, and so on. I have no doubt that the polytechnic to which the noble Lord refers, with the reputation that he says it has, must be in the forefront for being granted some of this money.

§ Lord Auckland
My Lords, bearing in mind that we import a large number of fashion goods of excellent quality from the Nordic countries and Scandinavia, can my noble friend say that incentives are given to exporters to export, in particular, to countries such as Finland where we can export fashion goods of as good a quality, if not better, than these we import from such countries?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, we give considerable support to the clothing industry in export schemes. The budget of the British Overseas Trade Board in 1985–86 was £1.1 million. That is very high in comparison with other industries. We have helped to organise or promote, as I said at the beginning, a lot of shows here, and also helped exporters to exhibit at shows overseas.

Lord Bruce of Donington
My Lords, the noble Lord in reply to the question addressed to him by my noble friend Lord Glenamara spoke of the amount of money which had been allocated by the Government in respect of equipment, "and so on". Can we have his assurance that the words "and so on" include specifically the answer to the question by my noble friend with regard to the support of design facilities?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, the figure of £4½ million which I mentioned earlier is new money for colleges and centres of higher education to buy advanced textile and clothing machinery. At the moment I am not aware of the total figure given in the education field. This money I mentioned is new money.

§ Viscount Montgomery of Alamein
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that the fashion industry, of which I was once a member of an ancillary part, embraces a large number of activities other than those connected directly with textiles? Furthermore, is he aware that all these activities with regard to a number of different industries probably benefit by the minimum of interference from government?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, as I said in my original Answer, we are certainly not trying to interfere. We are trying to assist where we can in the promotion of British Fashion Week and that kind of thing. I would not have called that interference. I hope that that will be regarded in a positive light.

§ Lord Avebury
My Lords, the noble Lord has said that a total sum is made available to the polytechnics and it is for them to decide how this is divided up among the student numbers; so how can he be sure that, while the Government are giving £4½ million to the polytechnics for the acquisition of new and better machinery, the money that they are taking away will not result in declining student numbers in the design faculties of the polytechnics, and thus inadequate human resources for the maintenance and development of a flourishing design industry?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, I am not entirely aware of how the money available to polytechnics is divided up, but if polytechnics receive grants to buy advanced textiles and clothing machinery, I should have thought it would be unwise if they did not allocate within their budgets the amount of money to allow the students to use the machinery.

§ Baroness Lane-Fox
My Lords, will my noble friend the Minister not agree that the fashion industry is helped not only by training but also by the good luck that certain members of our Royal Family happen to be great trend-setters in fashion themselves?

§ Lord Brabazon of Tara
My Lords, my noble friend is quite correct. I understand that the Princess of Wales has taken part in one of these receptions to promote British fashion.