§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the United Kingdom trade deficit with the EEC between 1970 and 1973 and to the latest date for which figures are available, as a proportion of the United Kingdom total trade deficit.
§ Mr. DeakinsFollowing is the information:
VISIBLE TRADE BALANCES WITH EEC(8) Balance of payments basis £ million As a percentage of total trade balance 1970 +93 * 1971 -131 * 1972 -513 76 1973† -1,131 48 1974† (first nine months) -1,368 36 * Percentages are inappropriate: the total trade balance was—£9 million in 1970 and + £285 million in 1972. † Excluding trade in oil the percentages were 76 and 100 respectively; figures for earlier years are not available on this basis.