THE THEORTANT JTATOHEN WHT IN HE HAS JUST MADE WILL BE WALY WELCOMED IN LANCASHIRE BY MEMBERS LIKE MYSELF WHO, FOR THE L TEN OR FIFTEEN YEARS, HAVE BEEN WARNING SUCCESSIVE GOVTS THAT LANCASHIRE WAS NOT ONLY GOING DOWN IN ITS TRADITIONAL INDUSTRY, BUT WAS FACING COMPLETE DISRUPTION BY THE DIABOLICAL PRACTICES BEING USED TO FLOOD THIS COUNTRY WITH THE SURPLUS EXPORTS OF THE UNDER-DEVELOPED PARTS OF THE WORLD? WITHOUT ENTERING INTO ANY OF THE CONSIDERATIONS WHICH MY RIGHT HON. FRIEND MENTIONED AT THE BOX, WHICH HE IS ENTITLED TO MENTION, MAY I DRAW THE RIGHT HON. GENTLEMAN'S ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT THIS IS A MATTER OF SUCH GRAVITY THAT, WHILST WE WELCOME HIS STATEMENT, WE WOULD HAVE WELCOMED IT EVEN MORE IF WE HAD HAD AN ASSURANCE FROM THE GOVT THAT IN FUTURE THEY WILL GO TO THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE, THE ORGANISATION TO WHICH WE ARE A PARTY, AND DRAW ATTENTION TO THE KINDS OF PRACTICES WHICH ARE BEING USED TO DISRUPT COMPLETELY NOT ONLY OUR HOME MARKET, BUT THOSE MARKETS OVERSEAS WHICH HAVE BEEN TRADITIONALLY OF INTEREST TO US? THEREFORE, IT IS NOT ONLY A MATTER FOR US IN TERMS OF THE IMPROVEMENT IN THE PROSPECTS OF THOSE WHO HAVE INVESTED LARGE AMOUNTS OF CAPITAL INTO WHAT IS LEFT OF THE LANCASHIRE INDUSTRY, BUT THAT, IN THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS, WE HAVE LOST SIXTY THOUSAND JOBS. WHICH IS MORE THAN THE NUMBER LOST BY U.C.S AND ROLLS-ROYCE AND OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WHICH HAVE HAD GREATER ATTENTION PAID TO THEM BY THE GOVT. I WELCOME THE STATEMENT, BUHOPE THAT THE RIGHT HON. GENTLEMAN WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION TO ARREST THE DECLINE WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SO MANY YEARS DOTS DOTS DOTS
MR. DAVIES: - 1 MUST POINT OUT THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS WHICH WERE ACTED UPON BY THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT IN NINETEENSIXTYNINE WERE THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INDUSTRY ITSELF EXPRESSED THROUGH THE TEXTILE COUNCIL ON BEHALF OF BOTH SIDES OF THE INDUSTRY. IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT, THEREFORE, TO SAY THAT THIS WAS AN ARBITRARY ACT OF GOVT TAKEN DESPITE THE INDUSTRY'S VIEWS.
MR. NORMANTON: WHILST THANKING MY RIGHT HON. FRIEND MOST SINCERELY FOR THE STATEMENT WHICH HE HAS MADE AND STATING QUITE CATEGORICALLY, ON BEHALF OF THOSE MEMBERS OF THE INDUSTRY CONCERNED WHOSE DELEGATIONS I HAVE BEEN LEADING TO HIS JUNIOR MINISTERS, HIMSELF, AND THE PRIME MINISTER, MAY 1 ASSURE HIM THAT THIS NEWS TODAY WILL BE RECEIVED WITH GREAT APPROVAL AND PLEASURE IN LANCASHIRE. MAY I ASK, HOWEVER, WHETHER HE IS PREPARED AT AN EARLY DATE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT NOT JUST THE QUESTION OF G.A.7.T. AND COTTON, BUT TO CONSIDER WHETHER THE TIME IS OPPORTUNE FOR MAN-MADE FIBRES TO BE BROUGHT EITHER INTO THE CONTEXT OF G.A.T.T. AND ITS EXTENSION OR INTO A SEPARATE AGREEMENT ALONG SIMILAR LINES?
MR. DAVIES: THE ANSWER WHICH I MUST GIVE MY HON. FRIEND IS THAT I DO VERY MUCH TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE VARIOUS REPRESENTATIONS WHICH ARE MADE TO ME. HOWEVER, IT WOULD BE VERY WRONG AND NOT THE WISH OF THE HOUSE THAT THE DECISION SHOULD BE TAKEN AS A SIGN THAT THERE IS NOT YET MUCH TO BE DONE IN THE RESTRUCTURING OF THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, WHICH REMAINS A SERIOUS REQUIREMENT. REGARDING MAN-MADE FIBRES, I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT IT IS NOT FROM THE AREAS TO WHICH I HAVE BEEN MAKING REFERENCE TODAY THAT THERE HAS BEEN ANY SURGE OF IMPORTS INTO THIS COUNTRY.
MR. JOEL BARNETT: WHILST I SHOULD THINK THAT MOST HON. MEMBERS, CERTAINLY FROM LANCASHIRE, WILL BE DELIGHTED THAT THE MINISTER HAS ACCEPTED THE CASE MADE BY BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE, WILL HE RECOG- NISE I DO NOT IN ANY WAY WISH TO APPEAR CHURLISH - THAT GIVEN THE EXISTING LEVEL OF QUOTAS, FIFTYFIVE PER CENT. OF OUR TOTAL CONSUMPTION IS STILL IMPORTED? THIS COMPARES VERY
BADLY WITH THE LEVEL OF IMPORTS TAKEN BY THE E.E.C. AND THE UNITED' STATES. GIVEN THAT LEVEL OF QUOTAS, WE HAVE STILL HAD A GREATER NUMBER OF MILL CLOSURES AND UNEMPLOYMENT THAN FOR A VERY LONG
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