§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Trade what were the figures for invisible transfers between the United 551W Kingdom and Hong Kong in each of the last 10 available years.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonI have been asked to reply.
I regret that figures are not available of transfers included in the invisibles account—for example, official and private grants, gifts—between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. I am not sure whether my hon. Friend has all invisible transactions in mind, but the only items for which data are available are Government services, published in Table 12, United Kingdom Balance of Payments 1963–73; the earnings of direct investment and royalties, published in Business Monitor M4, 1973.
§ Mr. Mike Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Trade what were the figures for capital transfers between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong in each of the last 10 available years.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonI have been asked to reply.
It is not normal practice to reveal details of capital transfers to individual countries. These relate to payments, in implementation of the guarantee clauses of the Sterling Agreements of 1968, which are confidential. I am not sure whether my hon. Friend has all capital transactions in mind, but the only items for which data are available are some official long-term capital flows, published in Table 18, British Aid Statistics; and direct investment, published in Business Monitor M4, 1973.