HC Deb 07 April 1955 vol 539 cc1323-4
51. Mr. G. Brown

asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make a statement on the recent official decision of the Soviet Government to cancel contracts for British goods; and, in particular, if he will state how many such cancellations there have been relating to contracts of which his Department has knowledge, their total sterling value. and the particular commodities concerned.

Mr. P. Thorneycroft

I have been informed of some such cancellations, discussions on which are, I understand, proceeding through normal commercial channels.

Mr. Brown

Can the right hon. Gentleman not answer any of the latter parts of my Question? Can he tell us what goods are involved and their value?

Mr. Thorneycroft

Of course, the firms concerned are under no obligation to report these matters to me.

Mr. Brown

Is the right hon. Gentleman not under some obligation to take some interest in a matter like this? There are many allegations that barriers to East-West trade are thrown up from this side of the Iron Curtain; but it looks as though some are being erected upon the other side of the Iron Curtain. Is the right hon. Gentleman not under some obligation to keep us informed about these matters?

Mr. Thorneycroft

The Question is a perfectly proper one, and I have given the right hon. Gentleman the information available. I have had some information of cancellations, in certain cases, of these contracts into which the Russians have entered, but I have not been asked by the industrialists concerned on this side to do anything, and I think it would be best to leave this matter to the normal commercial channels at the present time.