§ 17. Mrs. McKennaTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action she has taken to safeguard the future of the textiles industry in Scotland. [146196]
§ Mr. FoulkesI shall be working very closely with the Scottish Executive and with the Scottish textile industry to ensure that the industry achieves the necessary level of competitiveness to succeed in both domestic and world markets.
§ 22. Mr. BrowneTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will make a statement about the implications of the trade dispute between the United States of America and the European Union on the Scottish textile industry. [146201]
§ Mr. FoulkesWe have not yet had any indication of how the new US regime will address this dispute.
However, we will continue to work with the Commission and other member states to achieve a solution to the dispute with the US and to reduce the risk of further retaliatory action by the US authorities which could be particularly damaging to the cashmere industry as well as to other businesses in Scotland.