HC Deb 03 April 1968 vol 762 cc97-8W
Mr. Thornton

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion, by value, of the United Kingdom's external visible trade with Canada was represented by imports into the United Kingdom, in each of the last five years; and what steps is he taking to reduce the United Kingdom's adverse trade balance with Canada.

Mrs. Gwyneth Danwoody

Imports c.i.f. from and exports plus re-exports f.o.b. to Canada are given in volume 1 of the Annual Statements of the Trade of the United Kingdom for the years 1963 to 1966 and, for 1967 in Table IV of the December Overseas Trade Accounts. The figures for imports cannot be given as a proportion of the United Kingdom's external visible trade with Canada because of the differences in valuation. I would hope that with the help of devaluation and of our general export promotion efforts, which included two major British trade exhibitions and the British Week in Toronto last year, our exports in 1968 will increase.

Mr. Thornton

asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of United Kingdom imports of manufactured goods from Canada were duty free for each of the last five years; and what were the corresponding figures for United Kingdom exports to Canada.

Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody

Separate estimates are not available for manufactured goods, but it has been estimated that about 96 per cent. of all imports into the U.K. from Canada in 1962 entered free of duty. The corresponding figure for all imports into Canada from the U.K. in 1961 was 67 per cent.