§ 1. Mr. Nabarroasked the Paymaster-General, following the ending of house coal allocation arrangements and price control for domestic coal supplies, what restrictions by the Ministry of Power, the Board of Trade or the National Coal Board will continue to exist in respect of imports of coal into the United Kingdom; to what extent it will be in order, without 2 impediment or interference from Government Departments or from the National Coal Board, for any private trader or consumer of coal in the United Kingdom to bring in his own supplies from foreign sources should he so desire; and whether he will make a statement.
§ The Paymaster-General (Mr. Reginald Maudling)Except for imports from the sterling area which are on open general licence, coal can be imported only under licence issued by the Board of Trade which consults the Ministry of Power. This control will continue when the statutory control on house coal supplies is ended. As previously announced, Government policy is not to authorise further coal imports beyond existing contracts, and this applies to both private and National Coal Board imports from non-sterling area sources.
§ Mr. NabarroWhilst not wishing to see any resumption in coal imports, which, fortunately, we have now been able to end, would not my right hon. Friend agree that continued restriction in terms of coal imports, for example from Western Germany or Poland, both of which are non-sterling countries, represents a contradiction of Her Majesty's Government's policy on the liberalisation of Western European trade?
§ Mr. MaudlingWe have not yet carried out the 100 per cent. liberalisation of Western European trade. In the meantime, we think that for the sake of the balance of payments this country could not and should not import further coal.
§ Mr. NealCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether he received any applications from private traders to import coal 3 in the period when it could not be obtained in the world market under £8 a ton?
§ Mr. MaudlingI cannot see why they should have wanted to import coal at prohibitive prices, but, with the fall in transatlantic freight rates and in view of the present commercial policy of the Poles, the situation has changed.