Carpets (Hansard, 21 December 1981)

§ Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what is the European Economic Community tariff on imports of machine-made synthetic fibre carpets; whether and to what extent this is expected to be reduced under international agreements; how it compares with the level of the United Kingdom tariff before United Kingdom entry into the Common Market; and whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the square yardage and value of imports and exports of such carpets between the United Kingdom and the European Economic Community and between the United Kingdom and non-European Economic Community countries since 1970 and for September 1981, grossed up at an annual rate

(2) what is the European Economic Community tariff on machine-made wool carpets; whether and to what extent this is expected to be reduced under international agreements; how it compares with the level of the United Kingdom tariff before United Kingdom entry into the Common Market; and whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the square yardage and value of imports and exports of such carpets between the United Kingdom and the European Economic Community, and between the United Kingdom and non-European Economic Community countries since 1970 and for September 1981, grossed up at an annual rate.

§ Mr. Sproat

The tariff information relating to wool carpets and synthetic fibre carpets is as follows:

275W

	Common customs tariff rates
Description	Present	Future^*	United Kingdom rates before accession to the European Community†
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Carpets, carpeting and rugs, knotted:
Of wool	24 per cent, subject to a maximum of 4 EUA per m ²	9.6 per cent, subject to a maximum of 2.8 EUA per m ²	£0.0500 per sq. yd. exclusive of fringes or 17.5 per cent, w.i.g.
Of synthetic textile fibres	20 per cent.	8.9 per cent.	£0.0500 per sq. yd. exclusive of fringes or 30 per cent, w.i.g.
Other carpets, carpeting, rugs, mats and matting: Tuffed carpets, carpeting and rugs	23 per cent.	14 per cent.	Duty charged according to content of silk and/or man-made fibres (see below)
Other (excluding coir mats and matting)	20 per cent.	8.9 per cent.cent.
Containing more than 20 per cent, by weight of silk, of man-made fibres, or of both together			£0.0500 per sq. yd. exclusive of fringes or 30 per cent, w.i.g.
Containing more than 5 per cent, by weight of silk, of man-made fibres, or of both together			£0.0500 per sq. yd. exclusive of fringes or 25 per cent, w.i.g.
Other			£0.0500 per sq. yd. exclusive of fringes or 17.5 per cent, w.i.g.
^* Under the Tokyo round of GATT multilateral trade negotiations the duties are due to be reduced in annual stages to the levels shown at 1 January 1987.
†Rates in force at 1 January 1972.
w.i.g = whichever is the greater

The information about trade in these products is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.