§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, to encourage the state trading countries of Eastern Europe to increase their purchases of British goods, he will now enlarge the list of East European goods which may be imported freely; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. MasonSince quota restrictions were lifted in 1964 on imports of a wide range of industrial and agricultural items, our trade with Eastern Europe has developed encouragingly and our exports to the countries concerned have more than doubled. I now propose to remove restrictions on imports of a further range of goods from 1st May, 1970, on the same conditions and with the same safeguards for domestic producers as apply to the existing arrangements.