§ 5. Mr. Walkerasked the President of the Board of Trade what research has been carried out by his Department as to the estimated imports of Commonwealth countries over the next decade, with a view to publishing the results as guidance to British exporters.
§ Mr. ErrollI doubt whether any estimates of this kind would be of enough value to British exporters to justify the work involved in making them. The Board of Trade already publishes a great deal of information about the particular requirements of Commonwealth markets and the prospects in them, and 180 it will always be glad to consider what help it can give to exporters on any particular problem.
§ Mr. WalkerIs my right hon. Friend aware that the staffs of many of the High Commissioners' offices in London are prepared to provide such figures which, if collated, would indicate that the imports of the Commonwealth countries are liable to increase over the next decade to about £3,000 million? Surely that is something which should be brought to the attention of British industrialists and exporters? Will my right hon. Friend consider creating a Commonwealth export council just as he has an export council for the Western Hemisphere and the European export council?
§ Mr. ErrollI have considered the proposal made by my hon. Friend, but in my opinion estimates relating to a broad category of imports by such Commonwealth countries would contain sufficiently wide margins of error in the forecasts as to be of relatively little value to British exporters. I have considered the question of a Commonwealth council, but as the needs of Commonwealth countries vary so much from one part of the world to another, I do not think that a Commonwealth council, as such, would achieve the same effect as is achieved by the E.C.E. or the Western Hemisphere exports council.