HC Deb 19 March 1969 vol 780 cc474-5
11. Mr. Lipton

asked the President of the Board of Trade what further action he now proposes to take to cut the imports of coin-operated gramophones, record players and amusement machines, now amounting to more than £5 million a year for 1967 and 1968.

The Minister of State, Board of Trade (Mr. Edmund Dell)

As I explained in Answer to my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis) on 4th December, these products are covered by the import deposit scheme. I do not think that additional special restriction on imports of particular classes of products would be justified.—[Vol. 774, c. 482.]

Mr. Lipton

In our sticky balance of payments position, is it not crazy that we waste a lot of hard currency in this way? Does my hon. Friend recall—he was not in the House at the time—the memorable statement that the language of priorities is the religion of Socialism? When will he put that into effect?

Mr. Dell

I recall that memorable statement, even though I was not in the House at the time. My hon. Friend will realise that the problem of inessential imports leads one also to consider the problem of exports from this country which other countries might consider inessential and on which they might place restrictions if we placed restrictions on theirs.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

That reply and the one given to me previously are quite unsatisfactory. Is my hon. Friend aware that these imports are growing each year? Is it not a terrible waste of time and money to have "one-armed bandits" coming in when we could import things which are really necessary at home?

Mr. Dell

I agree that these imports are growing. On the other hand, the exports to which I referred, which other countries might regard as inessential, are fortunately growing, too.