§ Sir G. de Freitasasked the Secretary of State for Trade whether, in the light of his policy of import saving, he will make a statement on the likely import of 76W lamps from abroad which were previously made in the United Kingdom, consequent on the closure of the British Sealed Beams factory in Corby, Northants.
§ Mr. DeakinsMy right hon. Friend is aware of the meeting which took place at British Sealed Beams on 24th February when, under the chairmanship of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, management, workers and a DoI official discussed the reasons for the closure of the factory. Unfortunately no means was found of averting the closure and this is a matter for regret.
Although imports of sealed beam units may have contributed to the company's situation, I understand that the closure has been made necessary by the decline in demand for such units for motor vehicles and the expectation that this trend will continue.
§ Mr. Blakerasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the present state of negotiations for a trade agreement between Brazil and the EEC; and whether such negotiations have been adversely affected by EEC quotas on garment imports from that country.
§ Mr. ShoreThe main trade agreement between Brazil and the EEC was concluded in August 1974 but negotiations between EEC and Brazil have recently been concluded for a textiles agreement under the GATT Multi-Fibre Arrangement and an agreement is expected to be initialled shortly. This does not cover garments; and I am not aware of any adverse effects on the negotiations of existing EEC quotas on garment imports from Brazil.