§ 2.35 p.m.
§ LORD AUCKLANDMy 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 the total value of fireworks imported from overseas into this country during 1960–62.]
§ THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIANMy Lords, I regret that this information is not available.
§ LORD AUCKLANDMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, may I ask him whether he can ascertain two things: first, how the figures, when they become available, compare with those of previous years; and, secondly, whether it is possible to impress that imported fireworks of any kind are not desirable?
§ THE MARQUESS OF LOTHIANMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord and I will certainly do my best to find out the information that he wants. Perhaps I could explain to him that the Board of Trade's statistical category of "pyrotechnical articles, fuses, primers, detonators and blasting accessories", comprises much more than just those things to which I think he refers. I can assure him, though, that the imports of the fireworks that he is thinking about have during the past few years been very small indeed.