§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with the markings of country of origin of imported locks; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Sally OppenheimI am satisfied with the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Acts 1968 and 1972, which prohibit false or misleading indications of origin; require the origin marking of imports sold here under a United Kingdom name or mark; and apply to all goods imported into the United Kingdom.
The Trade Descriptions (Origin Marking) (Miscellaneous Goods) Order 1981, which will come into effect on 1 January 1982, will not apply to locks; as I made clear on 16 March in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Brighouse and Spenborough (Mr. Waller), my first priority is to implement the new order as it stands before considering the case for bringing in new products and sectors.
§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will introduce measures to limit the amount of locks imported into the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. ParkinsonNo. Import statistics do not suggest that emergency safeguard action under the general agreement on tariffs and trade would be justified, and the United Kingdom has not asked for such action to be taken.
§ Mr. Winnickasked the Secretary of State for Trade what steps he intends to take to protect the British lock industry from unfair competition from abroad.
§ Mr. ParkinsonOne company approached my Department in 1979 for advice on anti-dumping action but did not follow up that inquiry. Officials in my Department stand ready to advise the industry on the remedies that are available against unfair competition from abroad arid to assist in the preparation of a case.