§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will make a statement outlining progress which has been made in his negotiations with the United States of America on tariff peaks in the textile and clothing sector;
37W(2) what recent representations he has received from (a) the Apparel, Knitting and Textiles Alliance, and (b) others, about the need for an agreement to reduce United States tariff peaks on textiles and clothing as a prelude to wider multilateral negotiations with all other GATT signatories on wider tariff harmonisation, consolidation and removal;
(3) if he will state his policy on the level of the United States of America's tariff peaks on textiles and clothing.
§ Mr. Needham[holding answer 2 July 1993]: I have recently received correspondence from the Apparel, Knitting and Textiles Alliance about the need to reduce United States tariff peaks on textiles and clothing as a prelude to wider multilateral negotiations with all other GATT signatories on wider tariff harmonisation, consolidation and removal. It is the European Commission which negotiates on behalf of the European Community on tariffs. It remains United Kingdom and EC policy to obtain substantial reductions in peak United States textile and clothing tariffs in the course of the GATT Uruguay round market access negotiations. The EC is currently negotiating with the United States on the elements of a market access agreement which would include a substantial reduction in US textile and clothing tariff rates.