§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what representations have been received by his Department from (a) the Textile Industry Support Campaign, (b) the British Textile Confederation, (c) the British Textile Employers' Association and (d) the British textile trade unions on the proposal that outward processed textiles should not count against import ceilings when they return to the original country; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will carry out a study of the proposals relating to outward processing made by the director of the Textile Industry Support Campaign in a letter, a copy of which has been sent to him by the hon. Member for Macclesfield
§ Mr. Meacher, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 5 March 1979; Vol. 963, c. 490], gave the following information:
We have received representations concerning outward processing from various bodies including the British Textile Confederation, the Trades Union Congress and the Textile Industry Support Campaign. As far as the United Kingdom is concerned, outward processed goods count against the same import limits as non-outward processed textiles and clothing 648W under all the MFA bilateral agreements and Mediterranean voluntary restraint arrangements negotiated by the EEC in the last 18 months. For some other EEC member States, separate additional limits have been established for outward processed goods in some cases. Discussions are currently taking place on a draft Commission proposal on common rules to regulate outward-processing where it is subject to separate limits. We have taken careful note of all representations received on this subject.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) if he will make a statement on the Government's current policy on the free circulation of textiles in the EEC in view of the proposal that outward processed textiles should not count against import ceilings when they return to the original country;
(2) if he will make a statement on his Department's attitude to the application of article 115 of the Treaty of Rome with particular reference to free circulation of textiles in the EEC in view of the proposal that outward processed textiles should not count against import ceilings when they return to the original country.
§ Mr. Meacher, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 5 March 1979; Vol. 963, c. 490], gave the following information:
Where goods originating in third countries are subject to formal quota restrictions EEC member States may, under article 115 of the Treaty of Rome, seek authorisation from the EEC Commission to stop imports of such goods in free circulation in other member States. The United Kingdom frequently seeks such authorisation. I know of no proposal that imports of outward processed textiles should be unlimited when imports of similar non-outward-processed goods from the country in question are subject to limits.