§ Mr. Nobleasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will discuss with representatives of employers and unions in the British textile and clothing industry a scheme for issuing import licences for textile goods similar to that which operates in Belgium;
(2) if he will discuss with the Belgium Government and EEC partners the measures being taken to assist the Belgian textile and clothing industries; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. MeacherI do not know of any special import licensing arrangements operated in Belgium. Although certain other measures have been discussed, none we understand has yet been introduced. Under existing MFA bilateral agreements the great majority of quotas are administered by the exporting country; member States are required to issue automatic import authorisation on production of a valid export certificate.