HC Deb 27 April 1959 vol 604 cc99-100W
Mr. Gresham Cooke

asked the President of the Board of Trade what restrictions are at present placed upon the importation of footwear into this country either by tariff or quota; whether he will give particulars of the present quota arrangements applying to the various countries concerned; and for how long it is envisaged that these quotas will continue.

Sir D. Eccles

Foreign footwear is subject to a range of duties, most of which are between 15 and 30 per cent.ad valorem.

Imports are restricted from the dollar area, Japan and the Soviet bloc, and quotas are accorded to Canada and the United States as well as to Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia. These quotas total approximately £1 million, but only a small part was used last year.

I cannot predict how long these quotas will continue.