§ 38. Mr. Errollasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a list of the samples of overseas goods purchased by him during 1951, and shown under head A4 of the Estimates for his Department together with details of their individual cost and subsequent disposal.
§ Mr. MackesonIn the year 1951, £3200 was provided for the purchase of 272 samples of overseas goods by Trade Commissioners and Her Majesty's Commercial representatives, primarily to illustrate their reports on the market for consumer goods. During the year, 185 samples were purchased at a cost of £320, the individual costs ranging from 5s. to £10. Interested industries were notified when the reports were issued to their Trade Associations and through the Special Register Information Service that the samples were available for inspection, and I do not feel that it would be of assistance to exporters to publish a list of samples.
Normally samples become out of date and the collection is reviewed periodically. The samples are held by the Board of Trade in bond, free of customs Duty and Purchase Tax. Subsequent handling on exhibition renders the disposal value less than liability for Customs and Purchase Tax. Consent of the Treasury is obtained for disposal.