HC Deb 09 April 1981 vol 2 cc326-7W
Sir Nigel Fisher

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he has any evidence that the tighter restrictions on imports into the United Kingdom under the present multi-fibre arrangement have benefited British industry rather than foreign suppliers who are not restricted under the arrangement.

Mrs. Sally Oppenheim

The matter is not one which can be demonstrated since we do not know what the trade flows would have been in the absence of the restrictions. I am quite sure, however, that in the absence of restrictions total imports into the United Kingdom would have been larger and sales which our industry achieved in the period would have been correspondingly smaller.

Sir Nigel Fisher

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will give the share of textile and clothing imports into the United Kingdom secured by different suppliers during the present multi-fibre arrangement, distinguishing

Value of imports into the United Kingdom of textiles and clothing from various sources as a percentage of total imports of these products into the United Kingdom
1974 1975 1976 1977 1974/77 (average) 1978 1979 1980 1978/80 (average)
MFA countries 28 29 34 30 31 27 28 28 28
Other low-cost sources 15 14 10 11 12 11 12 11 11
Developed countries 57 57 56 59 57 62 60 61 61
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Notes:

MFA countries: 26 countries with which EEC has MFA bilateral agreements (Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria. Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Macao, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Uruguay, Yugoslavia) and China.

Developed countries: EEC (excluding Greece), EFTA (excluding Portugal), USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, Japan.

Textiles: SITC (R1 and R2) Division 65.

Clothing: SITC (R1 and R2) Division 84.

Source: Overseas Trade Statistics.

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