§ Mr. HendersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if the British Government have put any proposals to the European Community in discussions on the current general agreement on tariffs and trade round concerning the footwear industry;
(2) what restrictions on footwear imports he is pressing for in the current general agreement on tariffs and trade round; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Redwood[holding answer 15 February 1990]: The Government's objectives in the current round of GATT negotiations are to expand trade, not restrict it. We are not, therefore, pressing for restrictions on imports of footwear. We have been in regular contact with the footwear industry over the past year about the issues raised in the current negotiations and have passed to the European Commission the details the industry has given us of tariff and non-tariff barriers in Third-world countries. We will make every effort to ensure that these are properly addressed as the detailed phase of the negotiations begins this year.