HC Deb 21 February 1956 vol 549 cc174-5
18 and 20. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will now reimpose building licensing;

(2) what import cuts he has decided on to redress the present adverse balance of trade; and when he will announce them.

Mr. H. Macmillan

As I told the House last week and again yesterday, I do not intend to extend the use of import controls or reintroduce licensing restrictions on building.

Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

In view of the doleful economic situation, is it not true that, while finding it possible to slash local authority housing, the Chancellor finds it both impossible and unnecessary to do anything at all about luxury building?

Mr. Macmillan

We debated this matter all yesterday and we shall debate it all today. Perhaps I had better not add anything more to my Answer.

22. Sir R. Boothby

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Her Majesty's Government will now introduce legislation to give them the necessary powers to exercise an effective control over imports, currency, and new building, by means of Statutory Orders, as and when the occasion demands it.

Mr. H. Macmillan

I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply which my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary gave yesterday to a Question by the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).

Sir R. Boothby

Would my right hon. Friend not agree that the account of current building given yesterday by the right hon. Member for Huyton (Mr. H. Wilson) and the detailed figures of imports given by my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Sir A. Braithwaite), taken together, are rather alarming? Would he consider making a direct approach to industry with the object of achieving some curtailment of unnecessary imports and some restriction of unnecessary building, which at present we cannot afford?

Mr. Macmillan

Yes, Sir, of course I shall carefully consider all these suggestions. I wanted to make it quite clear that I did not intend to introduce legislation.

Mr. Snow

In the absence of a licensing system, how will the Chancellor control or encourage the importation of essential hard-currency-financed commodities? If he has to rely upon finance difficulties and the effect of increased interest rates is he not letting himself into the danger of not obtaining the essential commodities that we require?

Mr. Macmillan

We debated these matters at some length yesterday and we shall debate them again today. I repeat that the main difficulty about import control is twofold. First, it does not go to the root of the problem because it does not remove the amount of money pressing on the system. Secondly, it lends itself to very dangerous retaliation upon our exports.

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