CONFIDENTIAL
MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY
cc Minister for Trade
JPS(I) & JPS(T) Secretary
{Indust
Secretary (Industry) Secretary (Trade) Mr Hughes Dep Sec Mr Denman Dep Sec Mr Bullock De Sec Mr Lam
CRE1
Mr Sanders CRE2
Mr Preston CRE3
Mr Edwards CRE5
Mr D Carter T
Mr Penrice ECS
Central Secretariat
Miss Lowne CT 1
Mr McEnery
CT2
Mr J Hale
FCO
Mr Coffin
IC3
TEXTILE IMPORT POLICY
I attach a paper by the Working Party of DTI officials
which has been considering UK textile import policy in the
light (a) of the complaints from sections of the cotton
and allied textile industry in Lancashire that the new tariff
on Commonwealth cotton textiles will provide too little
protection; (b) of the likely re-imposition of some
quantitative restrictions on our cotton textile imports in
1973 following our joining the European Community; and (c):
of the risk of diversion of man-made fibres to our market
because of the new American restrictions on Asian suppliers.
The present policy of relying on tariff protection alone
after 1 January 1972 has been called into question primarily
because of (b). When Ministers decided in August 1970
1