50.
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the balance of trade in textiles in the last available quarter.
Imports of textiles (SITC division 65) exceeded exports by £372 million in the third quarter of 1989.
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assistance he is proposing to give to support the British textile industry.
Firms in the United Kingdom textile and clothing industry are eligible for assistance under approved general aid schemes and, if located in assisted areas, regional aid schemes. A wide range of practical help is also available from my Department under the enterprise initiative. The European Commission has operated a ban on sectoral aid schemes for the industry since 1985.
65.
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the wool textiles industry in West Yorkshire.
The industry makes a significant contribution to the prosperity of the region. Since the early 1980s the United Kingdom wool textile industry as a whole has made a good recovery, recording significant gains in productivity and achieving an excellent exports performance. United Kingdom exports reached a record £613 million in 1988, with a new record likely in 1989; the industry also enjoys a favourable balance of trade.