§ 56 and 57. Mr. Brooman-Whiteasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he is aware that certain chenille factories in Scotland have received no new orders since the new Purchase Tax adjustments were announced; and, as they cannot much longer continue working entirely for stock, whether he will consider urgent adjustments to prevent the necessity of their closing down;
(2) whether he will consider measures to protect the position of specialised firms in the Development Areas which may be particularly adversely affected by the new Purchase Tax arrangements.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI appreciate the difficulties of these firms although I think they are due more to the general recession in the textile trade than to the incidence of tax under the new arrangements. The operation of this tax will no doubt be discussed during the forthcoming debates on the Finance Bill.