§ 15. Mr. Darlingasked the President of the Board of Trade what his decision is on the request of fruit canning firms for an anti-dumping order on Spanish canned fruit salad.
§ Mr. ErrollNo application under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act has yet been submitted, but, following discussions with the Board of Trade, the Association representing the British fruit canners is, I understand, preparing one.
§ Mr. DarlingDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that there are difficulties when, as a result of the procedure, a request has to be made by a whole industry rather than by a section of it? Is he aware that unless something is done it will be quite likely that at least one canning factory will close or, possibly, be transferred to Spain? Further, does he know of any other case of an import duty being placed upon the raw materials while the competitive finished product is allowed to come in duty-free? Ought not the situation to be reversed? This is the cause of the trouble.
§ Mr. ErrollAs regards consultations with the industry, officials of the Board of Trade have done their best to explain the situation to the industry, which can now consider whether to proceed with a formal application. We always try to be helpful in these preliminary stages.
I require notice of the second part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question. I should think that the answer is"Yes", but I must look at it.
§ Mr. DarlingThe correspondence on this matter has been going on with officials of the Board of Trade since last November. How much more notice does the right hon. Gentleman require?
§ Mr. ErrollIt is not a question of my requiring notice. It is a question of the industry putting in an application if it wishes to do so. When it puts in an application, it will be considered with the despatch which is customary in my Department.