§ Mr. Shepherdasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can now announce the details of the relaxations 96W of import licensing restrictions foreshadowed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the meeting of the Council of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation on 29th October. 1953.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThe details of the relaxations in our licensing restrictions upon imports from Western Europe will be published this afternoon, together with other particulars of our import arrangements for the first half of 1954, and I am placing copies of the Notices to Importers in the Library. The goods being restored to open licence include hardwood, veneers, certain fertilisers, essential oils, nuts, canned meats, clothing, pottery and certain types of glassware. In addition, my noble Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has made an Order removing consumption control on softwood, imports of which are already permitted under open individual licence from any part of the world. The combined effect of these measures is to raise to 75 the percentage of United Kingdom imports on private account from Member countries of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation which is free from quantitative restriction. This percentage, which is calculated in terms of 1948 trade, represents the minimum standard set by the Organisation for countries not in serious balance of payments difficulties.