§ Mr. TredinnickTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he last met representatives of the shoe industry; what was discussed; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AtkinsMy right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade met the hon. Members for Sedgefield (Mr. Blair) and for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) and representatives of the footwear industry in February 1988 to discuss footwear imports from the far east and south-east Asia. A number of other hon. Members have since made their concerns known. However, I can add nothing to previous answers to the House until the EC Commission reports the findings of its Communitywide investigation into imports of footwear from Taiwan and South Korea.