§ 26. Colonel Gomme-Duncanasked the President of the Board of Trade what, to the latest convenient date in 1952, was the total value of cosmetics imported into the United Kingdom; and of this total, how much came from Empire sterling countries and how much from dollar sources.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftImports of cosmetics into the United Kingdom during the five months, January to May, 1952, amounted to £17,600; of this, £400 was imported from sterling Commonwealth countries and £5,900 from dollar sources.
§ Colonel Gomme-DuncanWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for his reply, may I ask him to give consideration to the possibility of a greater proportion of cosmetics coming from 1502 sterling sources, thereby reducing the trade with dollar sources, from which a lot of cosmetics come?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftImports from dollar sources come in almost entirely under the Token Import Scheme, which represents only a very minute fraction of our imports from that area. On balance, as I think has been agreed by all who have examined the subject, it is a useful thing to have.