§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations he has received about textile imports from Mauritius; what action is being taken; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Meacher, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 3rd April 1978], gave the following information:
The industry have expressed their concern about imports of acrylic yarn from Mauritius. Imports of all textiles and clothing from Mauritius are subject to surveillance licensing and we are keeping a close watch on the level of imports, particularly of acrylic yarn.
Mauritius, which is a member of the Lomé Convention, does not have a bilateral agreement with the EEC. However, the Commission said at the Council of Ministers on 20th December that countries which had not signed bilateral agreements with the EEC would be subject to the same kind of safeguard procedures as those which had.