askun ett for being a
3
"We need not go into detailed arguments of why we think policies
such as "globalisation" will not help the UK industry. I need only
riefly say that if such global quotas are applied only to low-cost suppliers, the Uh industry will not obtain the protection that it
is seeking, because about 60% by value of the UK's total imports of textiles and clothing come from other members of the EEC, the EFTA
countries and other developed countries and about 40% by value of
the UK's total clothing imports come from these developed countries.
"We shall not, and indeed we are not in a position to, question
the UK industry's need for protection or increased protection.
This is entirely a matter for the UK Government. I would only wish
to note that in the first quarter of 1977, British exports of
textiles and clothing as a whole increased in value by 47% while
exports of clothing alone increased in value by 61%. Considering
that these increases come on top of a 40% increase in 1976 in the
value of British exports to textiles and clothing as a whole, and
considering the high proportion of British production which is
exported, it seems to us that the UK industry is doing quite well."
Our
"I will now turn briefly to the Hong Kong industry.
overall exports of textiles and clothing as a whole increased
substantially in 1976 and you will probably say that we are in
a healthy state. But we are not. In the first four months of
1977, in spite of increases in value, our exports to the UK of
restrained textiles and clothing items dropped by about 30% compared
with the same reriod in 1976 (exports to the UK in 1976 were 1%
lower in volume than in 1975). In the first four months of 1977,
our exports of restrained textiles and clothing items to the EEC as
a whole also dropped by about 30% in volume. In this period, the
quantity of our exports of restrained textiles and clothing items
to the USA increased only marginally by 1. The prognosis for 1977