§ Mr. HANNONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can issue a White Paper setting forth a statement of the various commercial treaties now in operation between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and foreign countries the provisions of which operate against the control by His Majesty's Government of imported food and raw materials and the imposition of import restrictions or duties against foreign countries, with a 815W view to preferential treatment of His Majesty's Dominions, Colonies, and Dependencies?
§ Mr. GILLETTThere is no treaty which would compel His Majesty's Government to extend to any foreign country any privileges in the matter of customs duties, prohibitions or restrictions, or in any other matter, which are accorded to another part of the Empire. There are, however, certain instruments which limit the freedom of His Majesty's Government to impose import prohibitions or duties on foreign goods. The freedom of His Majesty's Government to impose prohibitions on foreign goods is restricted by the International Convention for the abolition of import and export prohibitions and restrictions which is in force under a Protocol signed at Paris on 20th December last, and by the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between the United Kingdom and Germany signed on 2nd December, 1924. It will also be limited by the Anglo-Persian Tariff Autonomy Treaty signed on 10th May, 1928, which embodies the substance of the corresponding provisions of the International Convention above referred to. This Treaty though not yet ratified is provisionally in force. Under the Commercial Convention signed at Geneva on 29th March last, and now awaiting ratification, His Majesty's Government will be precluded from increasing any existing protective duties or imposing new protective duties. The only other Treaty which limits existing duties on foreign goods is the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between the United Kingdom and Greece signed on 16th July, 1926, which limits the duty which may be imposed on currants to 2s. per cwt.