Written question asked by Gordon Prentice (Labour) on Thursday, 27 November 1997, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 December 1997. It was answered by John Battle (Labour) on Wednesday, 3 December 1997 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, what steps she is taking to support the textile industry.

Answer: Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she is taking to support the textile industry; and if she will make a statement. [18721] Mr. Battle: My Department provides considerable support to the UK's textiles and clothing industries and is working with representatives of the sector to take forward a wide variety of sector-specific activities and initiatives which will both raise the profile of the industry and improve its competitiveness. Eleven separate textiles and clothing projects are currently being supported under the Sector Challenge. We support many of the highly successful supply chain activities of the Apparel and Textiles Challenge and provide financial support for young designers to show at London Fashion Week. The highly praised Education Pack for Schools received DTI funding and the textiles and clothing industry is one of the major beneficiaries under the Trade Fair Support Scheme. These examples give an indication of the breadth of our support for the industry covering areas as diverse as education and training, export promotion, supply chain development, and technology dissemination.

Secondary information