§ Mr. Giles Shawasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he is satisfied with the outcome of the recent negotiations between the EEC and Japan prior to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Meacher,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 25th January 1978; Vol. 942, c. 644], gave the following information:
We welcome the Japanese intention to reduce a wide range of their tariffs in advance of the MTNs, although this did come about as a result of formal negotiations between the EEC and Japan. We particularly welcome the proposed reduction in the duty on Scotch whisky. We were disappointed that no proposal was made for a reduction in the high tariffs on biscuits and confectionery and are urging the Japanese to reduce these tariffs also. Given the scale and coverage of the advance tariff reductions proposed, it would be surprising if the 214W increase in imports to be expected as a result of their being introduced was more than miniscule compared with the Japanese current balance surplus of $9.75 billion just announced for 1977.