asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will state the number of cases where textile goods imported into the United Kingdom have been seized under the provisions of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 on the grounds that they contravened section 16 of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, for each of the past five years.

In each of the last five years the number of cases where textile goods have been seized under the provisions of the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 on the grounds that they contravened section 16 or the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, were as follows:

	Number
1982	nil
1983	nil
1984	82
1985	97
1986	149

Prior to 1984, Customs practice was not to seize goods imported contrary to the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, but to detain them and then release them when the offending marks had been removed or altered.