§ Mr. John Mooreasked the Secretary of State for Trade what percentage of exports from the United Kingdom the visible trade gap represented in each of the past 25 years, including years when the trade gap was negative.
§ Mr. MeacherThe figures are:
UNITED KINGDOM VISIBLE TRADE BALANCE AS PERCENTAGE OF VISIBLE EXPORTS 1952 … … … -10.1 1953 … … … -9.1 1954 … … … -7.3 1955 … … … -10.2 1956 … … … +1.6 1957 … … … -0.8 1958 … … … +0.9 1959 … … … -3.3 1960 … … … -10.7 1961 … … … -3.6 1962 … … … -2.5 1963 … … … -1.9 1964 … … … -11.1 1965 … … … -4.6 1966 … … … -1.3 1967 … … … -10.8 1968 … … … -10.6 1969 … … … -2.2 1970 … … … -0.3 1971 … … … +3.2 1972 … … … -7.7 1973 … … … -19.8 1974 … … … -32.8 1975 … … … -17.1 1976 … … … -14.8 Note: Minus signs indicate a visible trade deficit; Plus signs indicate a surplus.
§ Mr. John Mooreasked the Secretary of State for Trade what percentage of the gross domestic product the visible trade 478W gap represented in each of the past 25 years, including the years when the trade gap was negative; and, from international sources available to him, what the analogous figures were for the United States of America and West Germany.
§ Mr. MeacherThe figures are:
VISIBLE TRADE BALANCE AS PERCENTAGE OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT AT MARKET PRICES United kingdom United States West Germany 1952 … … -1.8 +0.7 +1.3 1953 … … -1.4 +0.4 +2.4 1954 … … -1.1 +0.7 +2.5 1955 … … -1.6 +0.7 +1.6 1956 … … +0.3 +1.1 +2.5 1957 … … -0.1 +1.4 +2.9 1958 … … +0.1 +0.8 +3.1 1959 … … -0.5 +0.2 +3.1 1960 … … -1.6 +1.0 +2.7 1961 … … -0.5 +1.1 +2.9 1962 … … -0.4 +0.8 +2.0 1963 … … -0.3 +0.9 +2.6 1964 … … -1.5 +1.1 +2.6 1965 … … -0.6 +0.7 +1.3 1966 … … -0.2 +0.5 +2.6 1967 … … -1.4 +0.5 +4.5 1968 … … -1.5 +0.1 +4.4 1969 … … -0.3 +0.1 +3.6 1970 … … -0.0 +0.3 +3.3 1971 … … +0.5 -0.2 +3.1 1972 … … -1.1 -0.5 +3.2 1973 … … -3.2 +0.1 +4.3 1974 … … -6.4 -0.4 +5.7 1975 … … -3.1 +0.6 +4.0 1976 … … -3.0 n.a. n.a. Note: Minus signs indicate a visible trade deficit; plus signs indicate a surplus.
* Provisional.
n.a. = not available.