§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in the footwear and textile and related industries liable to be lost if the multi-fibre arrangement were abolished.
§ Mr. SainsburyProfessor Silberston's independent study for my Department, published in October 1989, estimated that an immediate rather than phased ending of the multi-fibre arrangement could lead to between 16,500 and 33,000 job losses in the United Kingdom textiles and clothing industry, with the lower estimate being the more realistic figure. The study also estimated that the MFA cost United Kingdom consumers £980 million a year at 1988 prices. With minor exceptions, the multi-fibre arrangement does not cover footwear products.