HC Deb 29 July 1952 vol 504 cc95-6W
49. Mr. Langford-Holt

asked the President of the Board of Trade under which international agreements limits are placed upon Her Majesty's Government's rights to maintain and increase measures of Commonwealth Preference and discrimination in favour of Commonwealth countries.

Mr. P. Thomeycroft

As to tariff preferences, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Wembley, South (Mr. Russell) on 24th April. As to discrimination in import quotas by the United Kingdom in favour of other Commonwealth countries, the only relevant international agreement is the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, which lays down that import restrictions shall eventually be non-discriminatory, but gives us wide freedom at the present time to discriminate in favour of sterling area countries.