HC Deb 11 December 1968 vol 775 cc413-4
35. Mr. Judd

asked the President of the Board of Trade how many new long-term commodity agreements and how many tariff agreements he has concluded with developing countries in each of the past four years.

Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody

A new International Sugar Agreement was concluded this year. The Kennedy Round of international tariff discussions, leading to a multilateral tariff agreement, was concuded in 1967. In each case the United Kingdom and a substantial number of developing countries were parties to the agreemnt.

Mr. Judd

In view of this country's commitments to U.N.C.T.A.D. and overseas development, would not the hon. Lady agree that there is room for much improvement in this sphere and that agreements of this kind are worth any amount of aid handed out as traditional charity?

Mrs. Dunwoody

Obviously for countries which are one-crop countries this must be an immediate means of development. We are members of a number of existing international commodity agreements and it is to be hoped that this kind of trading agreement will be extended in the future.

Mr. Frederic Harris

Is the hon. Lady aware that this is particularly important to countries like East Africa, which have been placed in difficulty because we devalued and they did not because their circumstances were different? Will she take this point particularly into account?

Mrs. Dunwoody

Yes, Sir. We are very well aware of the difficulties being faced by East Africa and I assure the hon. Gentleman that we will keep this matter very much in mind.