HC Deb 28 March 1957 vol 567 cc1317-9
11 Mr. Russell

asked the President of the Board of Trade (1) why he has authorised the importation of 56,000 dollars worth of rum and 42,000 dollars worth of citrus fruits and juices from Cuba during 1957;

(2) what goods were chiefly responsible for the increased value of exports to Cuba in 1956 compared with 1955; and to what extent the increase is attributable to the reductions in Cuban tariffs resulting from the Exchange of Notes on 15th February, 1956; and

(3) what was the original purpose of the Anglo-Cuban Trade Agreement of 1953; and to what extent its purpose has been fulfilled.

Sir D. Eccles

The purpose of the Trade Agreement of 1953 was to maintain the tariff concessions granted to us in the previous Agreement over a wide range of goods. These tariff concessions were further extended in the Agreement made at the end of 1956. In return we established token quotas, including those to which my hon. Friend refers, for certain Cuban products completely excluded from our market since the war.

I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT statistics of the more substantial increases in our trade with Cuba in 1956 as compared with 1955. The Government hope that the new Agreement will help exporters to develop further trade in this prosperous and important market.

Mr. Russell

Would not my right hon. Friend agree that the increased trade which took place in 1956, as compared with the previous year, has resulted in an increase in our adverse balance of trade with Cuba? Will he also give an assurance that the token imports of juices and citrus fruits are not meant to be the thin end of the wedge as far as the West Indies are concerned? Can he also answer my Question about which goods show the biggest increase in 1956 in exports to Cuba?

Sir D. Eccles

The adverse balance of trade is not as bad as it looks, because a large proportion of the sugar which we import from Cuba is refined here and then re-exported. I cannot say whether these token quotas will ever lead to anything larger at the present time. I think that many items of machinery, and particularly vehicles, contributed to the increase in British exports to Cuba.

The following are the statistics:

UNITED KINGDOM EXPORTS TO CUBA SHOWING LARGE INCREASES IN 1956 COMPARED WITH 1955
—— 1955 1956
£ '000 £ '000
Chemicals 348 549
Iron and Steel 261 545
Non-Ferrous Base Metals 105 251
Manufactures of Metals 212 407
Machinery other than Electric 792 1,203
Electric Machinery, Apparatus and Appliances 273 439
Road Vehicles and Aircraft 290 1,971