HC Deb 28 January 1992 vol 202 cc494-5W
Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has concerning the number of cotton mill closures which have occurred in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the United Kingdom economy in each of those years.

Mr. Leigh

This information is not available.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value and volume of output of the United Kingdom cotton spinning industry in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what corresponding figures he has for the average of the rest of Europe in each of those years.

Mr. Leigh

The value of output of spinning and doubling on the cotton system—SIC activity 4321—is shown on pages 250–251 of "Business Monitor PA 1002", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Comparable information for Europe is not available, nor is information available on the volume of output.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has concerning the profitability of(a) the United Kingdom and (b) the European cotton spinning industries.

Mr. Leigh

This information is not available.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent action he has taken to prevent the dumping of spun cotton products by(a) Turkey, (b) Brazil and (c) Egypt.

Mr. Sainsbury

The European Commission opened an anti-dumping investigation into imports of cotton yarn on 22 March 1990. Provisional anti-dumping duties were imposed by the Commission on 28 September 1991 on imports from Brazil, Egypt and Turkey. The provisional duties are due to expire on 28 March 1992 and we are awaiting the Commission's proposals for terminating the investigation definitively.