§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy 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, while the Uruguay Meat Delegation is in this country for the purpose of negotiating Uruguay's participation in Britain's imports of beef, they will protest most strongly against the flag discrimination practised by that country which takes the form of a 50 per cent. reduction of Customs House duties on all cargo imported by Uruguayan flag ships, and further make it quite plain that no beef or wheat will be purchased as long as Uruguay discriminates against British shipping.]
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, the talks which were held last week with the Uruguayan meat delegation were not negotiations but preliminary discussions to explain various aspects of home and import policy and to inform the Uruguayan Government of the nature of the multilateral negotiations on meat imports which it is proposed to hold later. It was thought inappropriate to bring this subject into these discussions.
Nevertheless, Her Majesty's Government are gravely concerned about the Uruguayan measures, and Her Majesty's Ambassador at Montevideo has made representations to the Uruguayan authorities. A reply to these has recently been received and, in the light of this, Her Majesty's Government are instructing Her Majesty's Ambassador to take the matter up again urgently.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, would the noble Lord accept my thanks for the helpful nature of his reply, which I think will be received 582 with great satisfaction by British shipping? May I ask the noble Lord, on the general question, whether some determined effort can be made by Her Majesty's Government, as this flag discrimination is gaining such a hold in Latin America as to be seriously detrimental to the interests of British shipping? In this particular matter, would the noble Lord take note—and there have been cases to support this—that British goods have been shipped to Uruguay, and owing to the height of the tariff they have been shipped back again to this country and reshipped in a ship flying the Uruguayan flag, at less cost than would be incurred by paying this exhorbitant surcharge which I have called a duty.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, Her Majesty's Government deplore the practice of flag discrimination, and it is for that reason that we propose to ask Her Majesty's Ambassador to make further representations to the Uruguayan Government.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, could I put down another question at a suitable time for another reply?
§ LORD CARRINGTONYes, indeed.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHI thank the noble Lord.