§ 27. Mr. Turtonasked the President of the Board of Trade what was the value of imports from the Commonwealth and Empire imported into the United Kingdom during 1956 that were items enumerated in Chapters 1 to 24 of the Brussels Nomenclature; and what proportion this represented of the total value 202 of all Commonwealth and Empire imports during this period.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithThese imports were valued at £853.0 million and represented 49 per cent. of total imports from the Commonwealth.
§ Mr. TurtonHas my right hon. Friend communicated those figures to the Federation of British Industries, and has he noticed that, in its last pamphlet, the Federation put the proportion at 10 per cent.?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithAs my right hon. Friend well knows, I have no responsibility for what the Federation of British Industries publishes. If it is under any misapprehension as to these figures, I am sure that it will be corrected by the Answer which I have given.
§ Major Legge-BourkeWill my right hon. and learned Friend bear in mind that, whether he has responsibility or not for what it publishes, the evidence which the Federation of British Industries gives will nevertheless have considerable force so far as European free trade is concerned, and will he, therefore, make sure that, when it submits evidence, that evidence is accurate?
§ Mr. Walker-SmithI have no reason to suppose that the Federation of British Industries ordinarily publishes statistics other than those which are accurate. If there has been any slip on this occasion, I am satisfied that the Federation will correct it.