§ LORD BIRDWOODMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will state the position in regard to the trading of germanium transistors with countries within the Soviet bloc.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (THE EARL OF DUNDEE)My Lords, under arrangements agreed with our Allies, transistors of types which possess a strategic importance may not be exported to countries within the Sino 728 Soviet bloc; but the wide range of germanium transistors in general civil use is not subject to embargo.
§ LORD BIRDWOODMy Lords, I thank the noble Earl very much for his reply. Am I to understand from it that it is possible to differentiate between the germanium transistor which is of strategic importance, particularly in regard to a guided missile, and a transistor that is of normal commercial trading significance?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEYes, my Lords, that is so. The noble Lord will find the description of transistors which are on the embargo list in the Board of Trade Journal for February 5 of this year, the items being on page 282.
§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETHMy Lords, could the noble Earl tell us what a germanium transistor is?—because some of us here, being rather ignorant on these matters, do not know.
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, I think that in order to get a thoroughly accurate definition the noble Lord should consult an electrician. The types which are on the embargo list include, for example, those using germanium as the bulk semi-conductor material and having the following characteristics: an average f alpha of less than 50 megacycles per second and designed to have a maximum collective dissipation (in watts) multiplied by the average f alpha (in megacycles per second) greater than 7.5.
§ LORD MORRISON OF LAMBETHMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Earl. We are now all quite clear about that.