§ 34. Mr. Biffen asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement outlining the expected consequences for United Kingdom trade in 479 temperate foodstuffs with Australia and New Zealand should Great Britain join a Common Market enlarged to include Denmark and operating the system and price structure of the current European Economic Community agricultural policy.
§ Mr. JayDetailed estimates must depend on the terms of any agreement reached: but the imposition of any barriers to reciprocal trade must, of course, be injurious to the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
§ Mr. BiffenIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that he has not answered the Question, which asked for an estimate of the consequences on the existing price structure and system of the Common Market, not on anything which might subsequently be negotiated? Why will he not share with the House the judgments which he has revealed to selected Labour back benchers?
§ Mr. JayThe hon. Gentleman cannot have heard the first part of the Answer which was that detailed estimates, statistical estimates, must depend on the terms of any agreement reached and, of course, any statistical estimate must depend on the extent to which a common agricultural policy is applied to Commonweath and United Kingdom trade.
§ Mr. CorfieldThe right hon. Gentleman said that any increase in barriers to trade must harm Great Britain. Is that the view of the Government about going into the Common Market?
§ Mr. JayYes, Sir. Clearly, any new barrier against trade would diminish trade and therefore be injurious to the countries concerned.