§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress he has made towards developing a strategy for future support for the textile industry; and if he will make a statement. [67734]
§ Mr. BattleLast year, a joint industry-union group produced an Action Plan for the Textiles and Clothing Industry. I subsequently met the authors of this Document and offered the services of DTI officials to facilitate the production, by an industry-led Group, of a more detailed strategy for the industry. The industry and the unions decided to take the initiative forward and have formed the Textiles and Clothing Strategy Group. My Department will provide the Group's secretariat. To ensure that the Group is wholly representative of the industry and its supply chain, the Group is to include representatives from trade associations, unions, the retail sector, manufacturing, academia and Government. The first meeting of the Group will be on 1 February and preparatory work has already begun.
Local transport capital settlements1 £ million Allocation category 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 Principal road carriageway maintenance 0 95 173 151 141 86 90 80 113 Bridge assessment and strengthening 91 111 137 137 117 101 110 100 128 Local safety schemes 0 0 0 50 50 55 60 50 60 Local authority packages 0 0 0 10 64 79 79 85 135 Minor works 75 89 115 60 64 40 0 0 25 Grant reduction for previous underspends -48 -54 -64 -67 -67 -40 -16 -7 -4 Existing commitments2 561 522 529 431 485 463 407 308 173 New major schemes 41 61 93 47 39 6 0 0 6 Total 768 877 1,047 886 960 830 746 623 641 1 Total for 1990–2000 excludes support for European Regional Development Fund grant (£26 million in 1998–99), which is now funded separately from the local transport capital settlement. 2 Support for Croydon Tramlink and South Yorkshire Supertram.