§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister for Trade, further to his reply of 26 July, Official Report, c. 359–60 concerning imports and import penetration, what are the figures for the latest quarter compared with 1975 and 1979, respectively.
§ Mr. Peter ReesThe generally accepted definition of semi-manufactures is division 5 and 6 of the Standard International Trade Classification. Import penetration figures are not compiled under this definition.
The nearest readily available equivalent is the group of industries in the Standard Industrial Classification 1968 which predominantly produce intermediate goods. The following table provides import penetration figures for these industries and shows the level of imports for the products of intermediate goods industries and of semi-manufactures for comparison.
Imports and Import Penetration Semi-manufactures Intermediate Goods Imports* Imports* Import penetration £ million £ million per cent. 1975 5,798 5,124 21 1979 12,694 11,414 26 †1983 13,937 12,683 29 * On Overseas Trade Statistics basis. † 12 months ending September.