§ 2.47 p.m.
§ Lord PANNELLMy 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 their attention has been drawn to the scheme proposed by the New Zealand Government, whereby one-third of the value of selected imports is deposited with the Reserve Bank for six months without interest.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMYes, my Lords. I understand the scheme came into operation yesterday, 2nd February.
§ Lord PANNELLMy Lords, does my noble friend understand that I think he has given me a very dusty Answer, and that I expected him to reflect upon how far the scheme proposed in New Zealand is better than the scheme which we had in 1964 of import duty levy, which was not well received on the Continent? Does not this New Zealand scheme form a convenient method of getting over the claim that has arisen both in the Party and in the country, that something should be done to stop the rush into this country of imports which put people out of work—for instance, Thorne's at Skelmersdale—and to arrest the imports of Japanese motor cars?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, I thought that my Answer was not dusty but was purely factual. Having said that, it is a device which we ourselves as a country have used but which, because of what is known as the OECD pledge, we are not now using.