§ Mr. ReedTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to assist the textile sector. [111562]
§ Mr. Alan JohnsonThe DTI is currently funding around 30 projects to encourage the growth and competitiveness of the UK textiles and clothing industry. These projects cover research into product innovation and development, design, education and training, benchmarking and the development of supply chain partnerships.
On a national level, my Department has been actively involved in an industry led-group, the Textile and Clothing Strategy Group (TCSG), which has been established in direct response to concerns from the industry about its future. A draft report containing several recommendations aimed at helping safeguard the future of the sector has recently been produced by the Group and is currently out for consultation among the industry.