Written question asked by Andrew Love (Labour) on Thursday, 1 February 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 February 2001. It was answered by Patricia Hewitt (Labour) on Thursday, 15 February 2001 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what action he is taking to deal with the difficulties faced by the textile industry in the United Kingdom.

Answer: Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action he is taking to deal with the difficulties faced by the textile industry in the United Kingdom. [149022] Ms Hewitt: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry announced a package of support for the textiles and clothing industry in the form of a 12-point plan on 6 June 2000. This was an initial response to the report of the textile and clothing strategy group and included: The establishment of a major new supply chain initiative for the industry; Temporary relaxation of the rules for trade fair support to enable more textiles and clothing companies to receive assistance; The establishment of more projects to help the technical textiles sector; A major programme of re-skilling for the textiles and clothing industry; Support for up and coming new designers. In addition, the Government provide a wide range of support for industry, including regional selective assistance and SMART awards. This support is available to textiles and clothing companies.

Secondary information