HC Deb 24 November 1954 vol 533 c148W
Mrs. Jeger

asked the President of the Board of Trade why he allows the import of new gold jewellery, while continuing to prevent British jewellers from obtaining new gold, apart from the small allowance for utility wedding rings.

Mr. P. Thorneycroft

The bilateral quotas for the year 1954 which permit the import of, among other things, gold jewellery, total £60,000. I do not consider that these limited imports are unreasonable, considering that United Kingdom jewellers have access to supplies of secondhand gold for the manufacture of jewellery for the home market.