§ 13. Mr. G. Williamsasked the President of the Board of Trade if, to encourage the use of phosphatic fertilisers, he will remove the 10 per cent. import duty on basic slag.
§ The Secretary for Overseas Trade (Mr. H. R. Mackeson)The Board of Trade is always ready to consider applications for variations in rates of import duty. In this case an application has recently been submitted, but we have not yet received all the information we require in order to give the matter full consideration.
§ Mr. WilliamsWill the Minister bear in mind that his right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture is subsidising phosphatic fertilisers, and that it seems a pity that an import duty should be put on them at the same time? But if my hon. Friend is going into the matter in the near future, I am satisfied with his answer.
§ Mr. D. MarshallMay I ask the Minister, in order to get a fair proportion, what is the total home production and what, in 1952, was the total amount of imports?
§ Mr. MackesonPerhaps my hon. Friend would put that question down. The point is that the N.F.U. only wrote to the Government last month. If there is a prima facie case we must, of course, consider the views of all the interested parties.