§ 41. Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Trade what efforts his Department has made towards bringing about a system of fair trading and competition between British clothing manufacturers and countries exporting cheap clothing to the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MeacherTrade in clothing is governed by the GATT Multifibre Arrangement (the MFA), one of whose main objectives is to ensure the orderly and equitable development of trade. Under the Arrangement we have established a wide range of protective quotas against low-cost imports, and we have also imposed additional selective controls. The future of the MFA is now being considered, and with our full support the European Community is pressing for major improvements.