§ 35. Sir Clive Bossomasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of opinion in British industry towards entry into the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. John DaviesTaken as a whole, British industry is in favour of the United Kingdom entering the European Economic Community.
§ 36. Sir Clive Bossomasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to seek to make an official tour of the European Economic Community capitals.
§ Mr. John DaviesI have no plans to make an official tour of the capitals of the member States of the E.E.C. but I expect to visit most of the countries concerned during the course of the year.
§ 41. Mr. Hayhoeasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are his latest estimates of the increase in growth which would result from Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. John DaviesThe increase in growth cannot be estimated with any precision. It will depend largely on the response of British industry to the stimulus of the opportunity to compete on an equal footing in a greatly widened market.
§ 42. Mr. Hayhoeasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates he has made of comparative distribution costs in the retail trade in the European Economic Community and Great Britain.
§ Mr. NobleThere are too many complex and varying factors to make such estimates worthwhile but I see no reason to suppose that the retail trades in the United Kingdom are not in general fully as efficient as those on the Continent.
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§ 47. Mr. Le Marchantasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are his latest estimates of the increase in trade between the United Kingdom and the European Economic Community which would result from the United Kingdom's entry into the European Economic Community on the terms so far envisaged.
§ Mr. John DaviesI have no doubt that entry into the E.E.C. would lead to substantial increases in trade. I prefer, however, not to venture numerical estimates which could not be precise.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is aware that the Council of the European Economic Community on 14th December, 1970, accepted the Commission's proposal for a five-year extension of state subsidies to the coal industry in order to guarantee coal production and aids for investment and improvement in safety standards; and to what extent he estimates a subsidy on Great Brtain's coal on the same basis would assist the industry, and assist Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community; and whether he will consider introducing such subsidies.
§ Sir J. EdenI am aware of the decision authorising member countries of the Community to give aid to their coal industries to 1975. The Coal Industry Act, 1971, provides for further Exchequer assistance to the British coal industry up to March, 1974. This matter is not one that is likely to affect our application to join the Community.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is aware that the European Economic Community non-reciprocal agreement with Iran on the entry into the Community of carpets at preferential tariff rates has been renewed; and how this will affect British carpet manufacturers on Great Britain's entry into the European Economic Community if these preferential tariffs are maintained against British manufacturers.
§ Mr. NobleThe Trade Agreement between the European Economic Community and Iran was prolonged for a further year in November, 1970. The effect of this Agreement is to provide for the temporary reduction of the Common Exter-4W nal Tariff on certain products of particular interest to Iran including knotted carpets. If the United Kingdom enters the European Economic Community the tariff on British-made carpets exported to the Six will be progressively reduced to zero over the transitional period.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to what extent on the present known terms of Great Britain's possible entry into the European Economic Community antidumping orders on non-agricultural imports will be prevented or restricted.
§ Mr. NobleArrangements for the transitional period are under discussion. After the end of the transitional period, no anti-dumping orders would be made against other Member States, and orders against non-Member States would be made by the Council of the E.E.C. on the proposal of the Commission after investigation of complaints of materially injurious dumping submitted by Member States on the basis of applications from the industries concerned.