IME. WILL THE RIGHT HON. GENTLEMAN THEREFORE CONSIDER VERY CARE LLY THE QUESTION OF A LOWER LEVEL OF QUOTAS AND NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE E.E.C. AND THE UNITED STATES WITH A VIEW TO GETTING THEM TO BRING UP THEIR LEVELS VERY MUCH NEARER TO OURS?
MR. DAVIES: I HAVE SAID, AND I REPEAT, THAT OUR OWN, I THINK, UNBLEMISHED SITUATION IN THIS REGARD SHOULD BE USED AS A BASIS FOR WIDER DISCUSSION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES. AT THE SAME TIME, THERE IS A DANGEROUS IMPLICATION IN WHAT THE HON, GENTLEMAN HAS SAID, NAMELY, THAT WE HAVE DONE ALL THAT WE SHOULD DO IN THE RESTRUCT- URING OF OUR TEXTILE INDUSTRY. I DO NOT THINK THAT THIS IS THE CASE, AND I DO NOT THINK THAT IT IS THE VIEW OF THE INDUSTRY.
MR. BRAY: IN COMMON WITH HON. MEMBERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE WHO HAVE A CONSTITUENCY INTEREST IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY I WARMLY WELCOME MY RIGHT HON. FRIEND'S STATEMENT. MAY I ENDORSE THE POINT MADE BY THE HON. MEMBER FOR HEYWOOD AND ROYTON CMR. BARNETTO ABOUT QUOTAS? FINALLY, MAY I ASK MY RIGHT HON. FRIEND WHETHER HE WILL EXTEND HIS DECISION TO INCLUDE FOOTWEAR, WHICH MAY COME UP FOR DISCUSSION LATER THIS EVENING?
MR. DAVIES: NO, SIR. IT IS NOT MY JUDGMENT THAT THE SITUATION IN THE FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY IS PARALLEL WITH THAT IN THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, BUT THIS MATTER WILL BE FURTHER DISCUSSED DURING THE DEBATE THIS EVENING.
MR. DELL: CAN THE RIGHT HON. GENTLEMAN SAY WHAT ESTIMATE HE HAS MADE OF THE EFFECT ON IMPORTS FROM UNDER-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THIS COMBINATION OF QUOTAS AND TARIFFS AND ALSO WHAT EFFECT HE EXPECTS THIS TO HAVE ON IMPORTS FROM DEVELOPED COUNTRIES WHICH MAY NOW BE IN A BETTER POSITION THAN THE UNDER-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES?
CAN HE SAY, IN PARTICULAR, WHAT ESTIMATE HE HAS MADE OF THE EFFECT ON INDIA WHICH WAS GOING TO BE THE MAIN SUFFERER UNDER THE PREVIOUS DECISION AND IS LIKELY TO SUFFER EVEN MORE UNDER THE MINISTER'S NEW DECISION?
MR. DAVIES: MY JUDGMENT IS THAT THE EFFECT ON INDIA WILL NOT BE DAMAGING. IT IS FOR THAT REASON THAT I UNDERLINED THE IMPORTANCE, FROM INDIA'S POINT OF VIEW, OF THERE NOT BEING A MAJOR DISRUPTION BY A SURGE OF IMPORTS INTO THIS COUNTRY NEXT YEAR. UNDOUBTEDLY THE SITUATION OF INDIA WOULD BE DAMAGED BY SUCH A SURGE COMING FROM, BROADLY SPEAKING, NEW MAJOR SUPPLIERS IN ASIA. MY JUDGMENT IS THAT INDIA WILL NOT BE DAMAGED IN HER EXPORT PROGRAMME TO THIS COUNTRY DURING THE NEXT YEAR.
MR. BLAKER: CAN MY RIGHT HON. FRIEND SAY TO WHAT FIGURES THE QUOTAS WILL BE RELATED, AND WHAT HIS ASSESSMENT IS OF THE EFFECT ON HONG KONG WHICH IS OUR LARGEST DEPENDENT TERRITORY, AND, ALSO, WHAT THE VIEWS OF HONG KONG ARE ABOUT HIS PROPOSALS?
MR. DAVIES: THE GOVT HAVE BEEN IN DISCUSSION ON THIS MATTER WITH THE AUTHORITIES IN HONG KONG, AND FURTHER DISCUSSIONS WILL TAKE PLACE WITH THEM NEXT MONTH. MY JUDGMENT IS THAT THEY WILL BE BETTER SERVED, OR AT LEAST AS WELL SERVED, IN THE COURSE OF NEXT YEAR BY A MORE STABLE SITUATION IN THIS MARKET THAN THEY WOULD BE BY AN EXTREMELY DISTURBED SITUATION. THE QUOTAS FOR NINE- TEENSEVENTYTWO WILL BE ON AN IDENTICAL BASIS TO THOSE FOR THE CURRENT YEAR DOTS DOTS DOTS
ENDS VS377/71 L. P.S.
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