§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what action Her Majesty's Government now intend to take to investigate the effects of duality of oil prices by the United States of America upon the United Kingdom textile industry;
(2) if he will make a statement on outward processing and free circulation of textiles within the EEC, and indicate what effects this will have upon the United Kingdom textile industry;
(3) what action is being taken by his Department more effectively to monitor and control the multi-fibre arrangement; and what discussions he is having within the EEC;
(4) what countries outside the EEC are able to import textiles into the EEC on preferential terms or by special arrangement through association with member countries; what are the quantities involved and in what commodities;
(5) what are the annual figures for the United Kingdom exports of spun cotton and man-made fibre yarn and tweed to the EEC in the period 1973 to the latest year for which figures are available; and what are the corresponding figures of imports from the EEC;
(6) what are the annual figures for the United Kingdom exports of woven cotton 408W and man-made fibre cloth to the EEC in the period 1973 to the latest year for which figures are available; and what are the corresponding figures of imports from the EEC;
(7) if he will give details of the volume, quantity or tonnage of imports of all major commodities of textiles and textile-based products, such as carpets, from the United States of America for 1977 and 1978 and the corresponding figures for 1979 to the latest convenient month;
(8) if he will make a statement about the breaches of the United Kingdom quota levels—ceilings and the failure to implement effectively the basket procedures within the current multi-fibre arrangement;
(9) what action his Department intends to take against Korea to limit its textile imports, in view of the fact that Korea imposes a 60 per cent. duty on imported woven cotton cloth and completely prohibits imports of consumer goods such as shirts; and if he will make a statement;
(10) what representations his Department intends to make to Brazil concerning the impact on United Kingdom exports of the duties of 205 per cent. on both woven cotton cloth and shirts imposed in Brazil; and if he will make a statement.
(11) if his Department will use article 115 of the Treaty of Rome to moderate the damaging effects upon the United Kingdom textile industry of the free circulation of imported goods that are subject to quota;
(12) why the EEC Commission has failed to produce a satisfactory regulation on outward processing; and what steps his Department is taking to achieve a cohesive Community commercial policy for textiles;
(13) what action he intends to take together with other EEC countries to limit the quantity of cotton yarn from Bolivia entering the Community; and whether the global ceilings will not be exceeded if any quota is granted to Bolivia for cotton yarn;
(14) why Turkey was allowed to import into the United Kingdom 3,917 tonnes of cotton yarn in the period January to July 1979 when the agreed annual ceiling is 2,940 tonnes; and if he will make a statement;
409W(15) what representations his Department intends to make to Egypt concerning the impact on United Kingdom exports of the tariff of between 64 and 80 per cent. on cotton yarns, between 120 and 145 per cent. on woven cotton cloth and between 96 and 190 per cent. on shirts imported into Egypt; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ParkinsonI shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the impact on United Kingdom exports of the Australian Government's policy of increasing substantially the protection against imports into Australia, hitherto an important market for many United Kingdom textile producers and the effect this policy may have on our United Kingdom textile industry.
§ Mr. ParkinsonI shall reply to my hon. Friend as soon as possible.