HC Deb 03 March 1975 vol 887 cc300-1W
Sir Frederic Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will provide balance of trade figures for 1974 or other recent available period in regard to exports and imports vis-à-vis the United Kingdom and South Africa, Chile, Brazil, Turkey, China, the USSR, Czechoslovakia and Poland, respectively.

Mr. Deakins

Balance of trade figures are not available with individual countries on a balance of payments basis. The crude trade deficit with each of these countries in 1974 can be obtained from figures of imports cif and exports fob in Tables II and V respectively in the December 1974 issue of the monthly Overseas Trade Statistics. The crude trade deficit—the difference between imports cif and exports fob—is not a good measure of the balance of trade in goods because,inter alia, of difference in valuation.

Mr. Luard

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what percentage the United Kingdom's non-oil crude trade deficit with the EEC—the Six—was of its total non-oil deficit in 1972, 1973 and 1974, respectively.

Mr. Deakins

80, 46 and 62, respectively.

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