§ Mr. Denzil Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether his Department has considered the possible effect upon aids to industry of the recent decision of the European Court, Re: Aids to the Textile Industry, Italy v. E.C. Commission (Common Market Law Reports, Vol. XIV, page 593), whereby aids to the Italian textile industries were prohibited.
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§ Mr. Meacher:My Department is aware of this case. It concerned one aspect of an Italian scheme for the restructuring, reorganisation and conversion of the textile industry, which provided for a temporary reduction in the employers' contributions to family allowances. The United Kingdom does not provide assistance in this form, and there is no reason to suppose that the court's decision in this case will restrict our ability to give effective aid to our industry.