§ 27. Sir P. Hannonasked the President of the Board of Trade the circumstances in which books published in Eire are being prohibited from import into Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. H. WilsonThere is now no prohibition on the import of books from the Irish Republic. An open general licence came into force on 5th October, permitting unrestricted imports of books into the United Kingdom from a number of countries, including the Irish Republic.
Mr. LindsayWill the right hon. Gentleman see that there is reciprocal treatment so that there is no censorship or duty on British books going to Ireland?
§ 31. Mr. Errollasked the President of the Board of Trade to which countries 50 per cent. of the 1,200,000 American novelettes and Hollywood romances imported during September and October are to be re-exported; and out of what dollar funds the purchases are financed.
§ Mr. H. WilsonThe licence in question was issued before the standstill on new dollar expenditure under the policy, then in force, that imports of books of fiction from the United States could be allowed provided that not less than 50 per cent. by value of the imports were re-exported. No stipulation was made as to the particular countries to which the re-exports should be sent. Payment for the imports would be made from our general dollar funds. As I explained in answer to the hon. Member's earlier Question on 20th October, this policy has since been discontinued.
§ Mr. ErrollWas it ever necessary or desirable to spend dollars in this way to enable us to send Hollywood books to soft currency countries?
§ Mr. WilsonI have had a number of representations from Members in all parts of the House to allow some token imports of fiction into this country. I am sure the House will agree that I could not use the import licence regulations for censoring different types of literature coming into the country.
§ Mr. K. LindsayHas it not been a feature of the book trade that we have been a shining example to the world by allowing free importations? What precisely does "American novelettes and Hollywood romances" mean? Does it not include a large proportion of perfectly good fiction?
§ Mr. GallacherAre these the exports the right hon. Gentleman is trying to get the Eastern countries of Europe to accept?
§ Mr. WilsonNo, Sir. The hon. Member's previous Question related to our exports, not to our imports from the United States.
§ Mr. Godfrey NicholsonAre there not many other categories of goods on which dollars are spent on condition that 50 per cent. are exported without there being any guarantee of exporting them only to sterling areas?
§ Mr. WilsonI should like to have notice of that Question. As I have pointed out, these goods are no longer being imported.