§ 84. Mr. J. Idwal Jonesasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will reconsider the method of presenting the monthly trade returns with a view to giving a fuller and more comprehensible picture; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. J. P. W. Mallalieu:The preliminary trade figures issued each month are of necessity in summary form, as they are compiled immediately after the receipt of the basic information from Customs and Excise. The commentary published with them is intended to set the figures in perspective and to indicate the main trends. Detailed information is published in the Monthly Overseas Trade Accounts, and quarterly articles in the Board of Trade Journal examine in more detail the developments and trends shown by the statistics.