§ Mr. Woolmerasked the Secretary of State for Industry what assessments have been made concerning the impact of the accession of Greece, Spain and Portugal, to the European Community, on the United Kingdom's textiles and clothing industries; and if no such studies have been carried out, if he will institute them as a matter of urgency.
§ Mr. David Mitchell[pursuant to his reply, 8 February 1980]: The Government's general assessment has led to the conclusion that they should seek to secure 580W adequate transitional arrangements to ease the impact of these accessions on the United Kingdom market and on the United Kingdom's manufacturing industry. Detailed assessment of the implications of accession are a matter for the individual industrial sectors and companies to pursue in the light of their own commercial knowledge of the comparable competitive strengths and weaknesses of the respective sectors. The Government will take account of any such detailed assessments as are made available to them.