§ 17. Viscount Hinchingbrookeasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give a comparative statement of home and European costs of production of horticultural products, on the basis of figures available to him through the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation, in view of his refusal to increase tariffs at the present time as against the decision taken in 1953–54 to raise tariffs.
§ Mr. John HareI regret that this information is not available from O.E.E.C. sources.
§ Viscount HinchingbrookeIs my right hon. Friend aware that someone, either in his Department or the Table Office, without reference to me, has inserted into my Question the phrase about the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation? It appears that that has been done in order to enable him to give me the dusty Answer which I have just received.
§ Mr. HareI am sure my noble Friend will be the first to appreciate that I am the last person who would wish to give him a dusty answer. I will certainly examine his allegation and get into touch with him immediately I can find out what happened.
§ Viscount HinchingbrookeDoes my right hon. Friend appreciate the necessity of giving a good deal of publicity to these comparative costs in order to dispose of the suspicion, which will otherwise linger, that the Government are allowing the impact of the Common Market to insert itself into our tariff structure and are not prepared to withstand that impact by maintaining tariffs?
§ Mr. HareThe Government have already made the position clear. The decision on tariffs was taken purely on economic grounds and the considerations 12 which my noble Friend introduced were not relevant to the decision. The difficulty about making comparative statistics available is that it is very difficult to get sound comparative statistics, which is one of the difficulties with which both industry and the Government are faced when considering these matters.
§ Mr. WilleyHas the right hon. Gentleman seen the figures issued under the Horticultural Accounts Scheme? Does he not appreciate that they make very depressing reading?
§ Mr. SpeakerThe phrase about the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation was inserted into the noble Lord's Question because it would otherwise have been completely out of order, since the Minister has no responsibility for getting foreign statistics.
§ Viscount HinchingbrookeFurther to that point of order. It would have been better if some attempt had been made to contact me so that I could have re-phrased the Question in proper Parliamentary terms and secured a more beneficient reply.
§ Mr. SpeakerI do not know what efforts were made, nor how successful or unsuccessful they were.
§ 20. Mr. Ridsdaleasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is aware that the horticultural clauses concluded by the six Common Market countries in the Treaty of Rome are likely to face the horticultural industry with the possibility of unfair competition; and what action he is taking in this matter.
§ Mr. John HareI have been given no reason to justify the assumption that unfair competition with our horticultural industry is likely to arise from the application of the agricultural provisions of that Treaty.
§ Mr. RidsdaleIs it not urgent that something should be done in the matter? Have not the Common Market countries horticultural safeguards which might work against our own industry and stability? Is it not better to initiate conversations with the Common Market countries now, or is the N.F.U. to undertake conversations?
§ Mr. HareThe countries covered by the Treaty are fully aware of our views. However, I remind my hon. Friend that the agricultural provisions of the Treaty of Rome are generally of an enabling nature. They provide for the gradual development of a common agricultural policy and a common organisation of agricultural markets within the Common Market countries. What will be done within those provisions, particularly on horticulture, is unknown.
§ Sir A. BaldwinIs it not the case that one country in the Common Market has set a quota against Italy to prevent dumping? Will my right hon. Friend consider something of that kind to stop the dumping of Italian apples in this country when we have a large home supply?
§ Mr. HareMy hon. Friend has mentioned dumping. If the horticultural industry can show that it is suffering material injury because of the entry of dumped or subsidised products of any kind, it can request the Board of Trade to impose anti-dumping or countervailing duties under the Customs Duties Dumping and Subsidies Act, 1957.