§ 2. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the President of the Board of Trade what proposals he has to augment the export drive, particularly in Eastern Europe.
§ The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Douglas Jay)I would refer my hon. Friend to my Answer to the hon. Member for Swansea, West (Mr. Alan Williams) yesterday. I propose to continue all the facilities now available to help our exporters sell throughout the world, and to improve on them whenever possible. In the particular case of the Soviet Union and the other countries of Eastern Europe with which we have bilateral trade arrangements, the Board of Trade seeks in negotiation to secure the greatest possible market openings for United Kingdom goods.
§ Mrs. ShortMay I thank my right hon. Friend for that very encouraging reply? It certainly represents a wind of change, and I am very pleased about it. Would my right hon. Friend be prepared to discuss with his right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary the problem of the kind of scientific, technological and commercial representations which we have in embassies abroad? In Eastern Europe we have them only in Moscow and Belgrade. Would it not he a good idea if the commercial representatives in Addis Ababa, Manila and Katmandu were sent to Eastern Europe where they could spearhead our export drive to much greater effect?
§ Mr. JayI should not like to be quite so precise as that, but I do discuss this matter frequently with my right hon. Friend. The main reason for increasing trade with Eastern European countries at the moment is that they are not placing as many orders as they might for British goods.