§ 34. Mr. Blackburnasked the President of the Board of Trade the total value of our exports of military material and aircraft for 1952, and to the latest date in 1953 for which details are available.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftExact figures of the exports of military equipment are not available. Exports of arms and ammunition, which include sporting arms and ammunition and some other non-military material, and certain military and naval stores, were valued at £33 million in 1952, 1134 and £37 million during January to September this year. Exports of aeroplanes and parts, including civil aircraft, were valued at £43 million in 1952, and £49 million during January to September this year.
§ Mr. BlackburnDoes the right hon. Gentleman not agree that it is rather dangerous to look only at the short-term policy in this matter and that the more we concentrate upon the export of military material the more danger there is to our traditional exports, as they are leaving the field quite open to our competitors, especially Germany and Japan?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftThe hon. Gentleman's Question was purely statistical. Policy with regard to the export of arms always must raise very important and very wide considerations. If the hon. Gentleman wants to ask a Question about that perhaps he will put it down.
§ Mr. GaitskellHow much of these figures of exports reflected civil and how much military aircraft? Further, how much of that was due to off-shore purchases by the United States?
§ Mr. ThorneycroftI cannot say without notice, but if the right hon. Gentleman puts a Question down I shall be happy to give him a breakdown of the figures.