§ Dr. Godmanasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is the output in the United Kingdom of the ladies' underwear industry;
(2) what proportion of items of ladies' intimate apparel sold in the United Kingdom is imported; if there has been any change in the level of imports since 1978–79; and what are the major sources of imports.
§ Mr. TrippierSales by United Kingdom manufacturers with 25 or more employees of ladies' underwear—including vests, briefs, slips and foundationwear, but excluding tights, stockings, socks and nightwear—were about £155 million, comprising 111 million items, in the nine months to September 1983. Import penetration was 21 per cent. in terms of value and 35 per cent. in terms of mumbers of items. Major suppliers were Austria, Hong Kong, Israel and Portugal. Import data for 1978 are not available on precisely the same definition as for later years. Comparing the first nine months of 1983 with the first nine months of 1979 imports were 79 per cent. higher in terms of value and 34 per cent. higher in terms of numbers of items.