§ 15. Mr. Swinglerasked the President of the Board of Trade the value of United Kingdom exports to South-East Asia in each of the years 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, and the first half of 1953, expressed in 1949 prices; and the amount of dollar earnings accruing to the sterling area from the exports of sterling countries in South-East Asia in each of these years.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftSince the answer contains a number of figures, I will, with the hon. Members' permission, circulate it in the Official Report.
§ Mr. SwinglerCan the Minister say if he is satisfied with the upward trend of British exports to South-East Asia, and could he also stop misleading the House about the freedom of manufacturers in other countries to export to South-East Asia compared with British manufacturers?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftI am never satisfied with any upward trend. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will look at the figures and put down a Question on them.
§ Following is the answer:
§ I regret that the figures for which the hon. Member asks in the first part of his Question are not available, but the value of United Kingdom exports to Southeast Asia at actual prices was as follows:
| £ million | |
| 1949 | 235 |
| 1950 | 237 |
| 1951 | 312 |
| 1952 | 334 |
| 1953 (January-June) | 145 |
§ The value of exports recorded in the trade returns of the sterling countries in South-East Asia as going to the dollar area during this period was, in terms of sterling:
| £ million | |
| 1949 | 147 |
| 1950 | 285 |
| 1951 | 338 |
| 1952 | 231 |
| 1953 (January-June) | 98 |