§ Mr. Hefferasked the Secretary of State for Industry what representations he has received regarding the proposed closure of factories and redundancies in the Courtaulds group; if he is in consultation with the company; and if he is prepared to ask the NEB to intervene and if need be take over some or all of the companies.
Mr. Alan WilliamsThe Department has received a large number of representations about the proposed Courtaulds closures from a number of sources including trade unions, local authorities and Members of Parliament. The Secretary of State for Industry met the Chairman of Courtaulds on 2nd November with the Secretary of State for Employment to discuss the situation. We do not feel that any purpose would be served by an NEB intervention in this case.