§ Mr. Osborneasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that textile machinery exports for the first six months of 1952 were a record, amounting to £25 million; what was the amount of new machinery made available for the home market; and if he will give an assurance that a balance will be kept between home and overseas allocations of new machinery.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftYes. Comparable figures for deliveries to the home market in the first six months of 1952 are not yet available but in the first three months of this year the value of home deliveries amounted to just under £10 million. In100W common with other sections of the engineering industries, the textile machinery manufacturers have been asked to increase their exports, but arrangements have been made in cooperation with them to ensure that full account is taken of the importance of the needs of our own textile industries.