Internet hope for textile industry.

Byline: GERRY DUFFY

A NEW Internet site aimed at helping to revitalise Scotland's ailing textile industry was launched yesterday by Enterprise Minister Wendy Alexander.

The new website - www.scottish-textiles.co.

uk - carries details of more than 1,000 companies in Scotland and is expected to lead to more business between firms.

Announcing the site, Miss Alexander said: 'Web-enabled technologies are providing opportunities to repackage and represent Scotland's traditional textiles and patterns.' Miss Alexander said the Scottish Executive was committed to regenerating what was once one of the rural economy's most important industries in the aftermath of large-scale redundancies.

A report this week shows the number of people working in textile and clothing production has slumped from 57,000 to 28,000 in 16 years.

And the latest predictions from Scottish Enterprise Borders warned that a further 8,000 jobs could go by 2010.

The industry is still reeling from the job losses at William Baird and Daks Simpson.

They laid off thousands of people in the Borders and in Lanarkshire.

But Miss Alexander insisted the fortunes of businesses throughout the country were improving due to extra funding and creativity from manufacturers.

Her claim was backed by Tony Taylor, chairman of the Scottish Textile Makers Association, who said Scottish firms had reversed the trend and were beginning to prosper.

He added: 'The Borders still employs more than 4,000 people in textiles and, because of productivity and investment in new equipment and the fact that we have gone into new markets, we are going forward.'