§ Mr. Loydenasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total value of imports of matches into the United Kingdom for each of the years ended 31 December 1985 and 1986.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe United Kingdom's imports of matches for 1985 and 1986 amounted to £8.4 millions each year.
§ Mr. Loydenasked the Secretay of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to protect the interests of the United Kingdom match industry against dumping of foreign imports.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkIf the United Kingdom match industry believes that it is suffering damage from dumped imports it should present an application for anti-dumping action to the European Commission which has Community responsibility for such matters. My Department's unfair trade unit is ready to give any advice on the preparation of a case.
§ Mr. Loydenasked the Secretay of State for Trade and Industry what steps he intends to take to end the practice whereby imported matches are packaged in such a way as to suggest that they are of British manufacture; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HowardThe Trade Descriptions Act 1968 already makes it an offence for a person in the course of a trade or business to apply a false or misleading indication to goods, in respect of their place of manufacture or production. If a United Kingdom name or mark, or any name or mark likely to be taken as such, were applied to the goods by means of the packaging, the goods would also be required under the Trade Descriptions Act 1972 to be marked with their country of origin. Although it is necessary, for European Community reasons, for the 1972 Act to be repealed, the Government are currently considering, in the light of consultation, the case for a successor regime to supplement the existing protection afforded to consumers by the 1968 Act.