§ 2.37 p.m.
§ LORD RUSSELL OF LIVERPOOLMy 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 why they intend to continue the importation of eggs from Poland and other countries when there is an ample supply of this commodity in the United Kingdom and an adverse gap between imports and exports.]
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, BOARD OF TRADE (LORD RHODES)My Lords, I would refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave him on November 24. In order to relieve our balance-of-payments difficulties the Government decided to restrict imports by means of the temporary import charge of 15 per cent. They decided, for good reason, that this should not apply to 2 foodstuffs. In these circumstances it would not be justifiable to prohibit the import of eggs because domestic supplies are plentiful.
§ LORD RUSSELL OF LIVERPOOLMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for his reply, but I should like to ask him this further question. Are the Ministry of Agriculture aware that at the Government inquiry into the British Egg Marketing Board's second scheme last week evidence was given by a director of a large chain of food stores that because of the withdrawal of these eggs from the home market over 3½ million eggs had to be imported for the making of cakes, increasing the cost by something like £15, 000? Would the noble Lord agree, having regard to the fact that the eggs were available in this country, that this was quite unnecessary?
§ LORD RHODESMy Lords, I noticed about the withdrawal of the second-grade eggs, but I do not think the reason suggested by the noble Lord is quite the correct one.
§ LORD RUSSELL OF LIVERPOOLMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord what is the correct one?
§ LORD RHODESMy Lords, the fact that the second-grade eggs were withdrawn has no bearing on the arrangements we have made for the import of eggs, and, in the circumstances, we cannot change them.
§ THE EARL OF DUDLEYMy Lords, could the noble Lord give us any idea what the percentage of the importation of eggs is as compared with the home market consumption?
§ LORD RHODESYes, my Lords. It was 2-2 per cent. in 1962, 2-4 per cent. in 1963, and it was running at the rate of 1-8 per cent. in the first nine months of 1964.