§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what safeguards he has in mind within the renegotiations of a multi-fibre arrangement to deal with disruptive import surges of textiles and carpet imports into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what proposals he has in mind to control a possible surge of imports from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea if under-used quotas are abolished.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonIn deciding our detailed policy on the future of the multi-fibre arrangement we shall bear in mind the possibility of sudden increases in imports of particular textile and clothing products.
§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the main tariff barriers and import bans by countries who import textiles, clothing and carpets from the United Kingdom; what steps he is taking to have these reduced; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter MorrisonAs my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade explained in the debate in the House on438W May 9 at columns 917–919, reducing trade barriers in developing countries, in many of which they are much too high, is one of the United Kingdom's objectives in the new round of multilateral trade negotiations in the GATT. This applies to textiles, clothing and carpets as well as other products. The main barriers facing these products are summarised on pages 60–61 of "The Multi-Fibre Arrangement and the UK Economy" by Professor Z. A. Silberston, a copy of which is in the Library.