HC Deb 25 July 1963 vol 681 cc1765-6
29. Mr. Russell

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that United Kingdom exports to South Africa have increased substantially this year so far compared with the corresponding part of 1962; and which industries, and which parts of the country, have chiefly benefited from this increase.

Mr. Erroll

Yes, Sir. Exports have increased by £27 million or 46 per cent. in the first five months of 1963 compared with the corresponding period of 1962. With permission I will circulate a table in the Official Report which shows the industrial products chiefly contributing to this increase. It is not possible to estimate how this increase in exports has contributed to industrial production in different parts of the country.

Mr. Russell

I thank my right hon. Friend for that Answer. Is it not clear that it pays this country to continue to maintain our trade with South Africa, as with any other country with whose internal policies we may disagree?

Mr. Erroll

It is most important that we should continue our commercial trade with South Africa, which benefits not only us but the whole population of South Africa.

Mr. P. Noel-Baker

Can the President of the Board of Trade say how much of the increase was due to the sale of arms?

Mr. Erroll

No. The information in the table makes no reference to arms exports.

Mr. Marsh

Does not the right hon. Gentleman's reply show—despite the imminence of the election of a Labour Government, as shown in this morning's Daily Express and Daily Mail—that the pledges that have been repeated by leading hon. Members on this side of the House that the next Government would not supply arms to South Africa has had no bad effect on our economic relationship with that country?

Mr. Erroll

The hon. Member was not in the House in 1958 when his older hon. Friends were making exactly the same sort of remarks as he is making now. I do not accept the proposition in the second part of his supplementary question.

Following is the information:

U.K. EXPORTS TO THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
£ million
— 1962 1963
January-May January-May
Manufactured goods 55.6 81.4
of which chemicals 4.7 5.0
Machinery, other than electric 13.0 17.8
Electrical machinery 8.1 10.6
Transport equipment 9.9 22.1
manufactures of metal 4.8 6.6
All other exports 3.1 4.4
Total U.K. Exports 58.7 85.8