§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received from United Kingdom wool textile manufacturers about the recent proposal by the EU to bring forward the abolition of quotas on wool products from 2003 to 1998; what estimates he has made of the likely impact of this proposal on employment within the wool textile sector; and if he will make a statement. [3304]
§ Mr. LangThe British Apparel and Textiles Confederation and the Wool Textiles Action Committee have expressed concern about liberalisation of imports of woven wool fabrics under stage 2 of the European Union's phase-out of the multi-fibre arrangement. The Government accept their case and are accordingly arguing within the EU for those products to be excluded from the stage 2 package.