§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the state of the hosiery and knitwear industry in the city of Leicester.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWhile I acknowledge the problems being experienced by the hosiery and knitwear industry in Leicester, I believe I made the Government's position clear in the Adjournment debate initiated by my hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr. Latham) on 12 December.
As I stated then the Government are prepared to contribute towards collaborative research and development projects through which the textile industry can improve its efficiency and competitiveness.
I am pleased to announce, therefore, that the Government are to provide £2.8 million over three years for a major project based in Leicester designed to improve automated assembly techniques in the garment sector. The total cost of the project will be £7.3 million. It will involve 22 industrial organisations and four leading academic institutions and will be co-ordinated by Leicester polytechnic.
The work will develop an advanced manufacturing facility to address the problems associated with the integration of manufacturing processes.
A garment design and manufacturing plant located at Leicester polytechnic will be used to demonstrate the techniques developed during the three-year research phase of the project, which will offer obvious benefits for the Leicester knitted garment industry.