VISCOUNT ELIBANKMy Lords, I beg leave to ask Her Majesty's Government the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are operating quotas in relation to goods imported from China other than those listed in Board of Trade Notice to Importers No. 921, and if so, whether they will give a list showing the items affected and the amounts of the quotas.]
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, all goods are subject to import control from China, as from the other countries in the Eastern Area, except those listed in the Second Schedule to the Open General Licence, reproduced in Notice to Importers 910, of which I have sent the noble Viscount a copy. Quotas have been established only where there has been sufficient demand for the goods concerned, and with permission I will circulate a list of these in the OFFICIAL REPORT. They are, of course, open to modification as trade develops.
§ The List of Quotas is as follows:
§ LICENSING ARRANGEMENTS INTRODUCED SINCE NOVEMBER, 1959, FOR GOODS NOT SPECIFICALLY REFERRED TO IN NOTICE TO IMPORTERS No. 921
| 1. Quotas | £ |
| Seagrass items | 320,000 |
| Fancy goods | 250,000 |
| Furniture and woodware | 150,000 |
| Table glassware | 25,000 |
| Chinese food specialities | 75,000 |
| Canned fruit, other than organes and pineapple | 50,000 |
§ 2. Provisional quotas to be a value of approximately £25,000 each have been established for the following items:
- Various other types of fruit and vegetables
- Canned fish
- Preserved ginger
- Various textiles and manufactures thereof, not covered by other quotas
- Stationery
- Cutlery and hardware
- Leather goods and footwear
- Brushes
- Gloves
- Musical instruments.
§ 3. There has not been sufficent interest in other items for formal quota arrangements to be made and these have generally been dealt with by issuing licences to applicants on request.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKMy Lords, I beg to thank the noble Earl for his Answer, and also for Notice to Importers No. 910, which he was kind enough to send to me. May I ask the noble Earl whether it is the normal procedure that announced and unannounced quotas 1191 should be operated simultaneously? And, if that is so, is he aware that that creates considerable difficulties to British traders who desire to expand their trade with China, which expansion the noble Earl and his noble friend Lord Mills have told me is one of the Government's objectives?
§ THE EARL OF DUNDEEMy Lords, I think I have assured the noble Viscount before that any cases of special difficulty will be sympathetically examined by the Board of Trade.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKBut may I, with respect, again ask the noble Earl: is it the normal procedure to operate simultaneously the announced and unannounced quotas? That is where the difficulty for traders arises.