§ 3. Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will outline the anticipated timetable for agreeing a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ 5. Mr. Marksasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will outline the anticipated timetable for agreeing a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ 40. Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will outline the anticipated timetable for agreeing a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ 43. Mr. Strawasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will outline the anticipated timetable for agreeing a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ Mr. BiffenAn initial negotiating directive for the Commission was considered by the Council of Foreign 299W Ministers on 23 June. The next meeting of the GATT textiles committee starts on 14 July in Geneva. I would expect further meetings of the textiles committee to take place in the autumn, and agreement to be reached on a successor arrangement to the current MFA before the end of the year.
§ 25. Mr. McNallyasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the relationship between textile and clothing imports from the Mediterranean preferential countries, including Portugal, and the likely operation of quotas under a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ 28. Mr. Stottasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the relationship between textile and clothing imports from the Mediterranean preferential countries, including Portugal, and the likely operation of quotas under a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ 33. Mrs. Ann Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the relationship between textile and clothing imports from the Mediterranean preferential countries, including Portugal, and the likely operation of quotas under a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ 38. Mr. Woolmerasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will make a statement on the relationship between textile and clothing imports from the Mediterranean preferential countries, including Portugal, and the likely operation of quotas under a renegotiated multi-fibre arrangement.
§ Mr. BiffenImports of clothing and textiles from those countries with whom the European Community has preferential trade agreements are controlled by a series of voluntary restraint arrangements. These fall to be renewed this year. As I told the House on 18 June, the Government believe that in renegotiating these VRAs the Community must take a broad and comprehensive view of low-cost imports so as to ensure that arrangements made with suppliers controlled under the multi-fibre arrangement are not undermined by a failure to reach satisfactory arrangements with the preferential countries.
§ 46. Mr. Spriggsasked the Secretary of State for Trade how exports by British clothing manufacturer have changed since the signing of the present multi-fibre arrangement.
§ Mr. BiffenThe protocol renewing the multi-fibre arrangement was signed on 14 December 1977. In that year United Kingdom exports of clothing under SITC division 84 (Revision 2) were £599 million (f.o.b.) and in 1980 they were £808 million (f.o.b.). These figures may include some imported goods subsequently re-exported.