§ 20. Sir R. Boothbyasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will make wider use of the exceptions procedure to permit the increased export to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of marginal items on the control lists.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithNo, Sir. There is no marginal field in the Soviet bloc controls analogous to the differential China list to which the special exceptions procedure was applied; and the Government would not feel justified in proposing any variation of the arrangements explained by my right hon. and learned Friend on 13th May in answer to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Lewis).
§ Sir R. BoothbyDoes not my right hon. and learned Friend think that by the judicious use of the exceptions procedure he might possibly stimulate without risk the export of such goods as machine tools or machinery for manu- 1060 facturing cathode tubes, which can scarcely be described as strategic or as involving any military risk?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI do not think that the differential procedure which my hon. Friend has in mind has any significance in the context of the Russian list. The special exceptions procedure in the case of the China list was used for items formerly embargoed for China, but only on the watch list for Russia. With the abolition of the differential, these items are now only on the watch list. I think that my hon. Friend will agree that the point of the special exceptions procedure does not apply.