§ 2.9 p.m.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual value of United Kingdom exports—
- (a) to the Republic of South Africa; and
- (b) to the independent Commonwealth countries of Africa.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, BOARD OF TRADE (LORD DRUMALBYN)My Lords, in 1963, £196 million and £161 million respectively. The latter figure does not include Malawi, for which separate figures are not available.
§ LORD BARNBYMy Lords, in view of the massive figures of the exports of British products to South Africa that we have just heard, and of their importance to employment here, would the Minister not agree that there is a danger in the emotional reactions continually voiced in this country as to the internal affairs of South Africa? Would he not also agree that this important United Kingdom market would be imperilled were its affairs too precipitately transferred to any insufficiently sophisticated Bantu majority?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, as the noble Lord is aware, I am concerned with the trade aspect of this matter. We, of course, attach great value to the trade that we do with South Africa, and I would readily agree with the noble Lord that there is always danger from emotional reactions.
§ EARL ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, are the noble Lord the Minister and the noble Lord who put the Question aware that last week we had a debate on Foreign Affairs, when I made it perfectly clear that the Labour Party's attitude to this matter is that they arc dead against anything in the form of economic sanctions in our trade with South Africa; and that our trade policy in general is to trade at all times with all countries that want to trade with us? What we object to is going beyond the provisions of Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in supplying arms.