§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the total value of textile goods purchased by his Department during the past 12 months.
§ Mr. KaufmanAbout £7 million, excluding floor coverings.
§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what percentage of textile goods, over the last 12 months, has been purchased from British manufacturers by his Department.
§ Mr. Kaufman99 per cent.
§ Mr. Hoyleasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will instruct his Department to purchase all future textile requirements from British manufacturers.
§ Mr. KaufmanNo. As will be seen from my reply to my hon. Friend today, almost all of my Department's purchases of textiles are made from British manufacturers. Purchases from foreign firms are made when British concerns are unable to meet a particular requirement or to do so quickly enough.