HC Deb 31 October 1983 vol 47 cc248-9W
Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish his reply to the letter of 4 August 1983 from the Library Association about the banning of the import of books from Argentina.

Mr. Channon

Replies were sent to the Library Association on 11 August and 11 October. The latter followed the Government's decision taken in the interests of the free circulation of information, to exempt from the trade embargo Argentinian books which are neither imported for resale nor are trade advertising material. The terms of the letter followed the lines of the press notice issued on 27 September 1983, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Her Majesty's Government took into account the provisions of the Florence agreement on the importation of education, scientific and cultural materials when it was decided to impound books sent to the United Kingdom from Buenos Aires.

Mr. Channon

Argentina is not a party to the Florence agreement.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why he has banned the import by Mr. Oliver Anderson of Nottingham of three volumes of proceedings arising from the 43rd session of the International Statistical Institute, held in Buenos Aires in 1981.

Mr. Channon

The books concerned, which arrived in the United Kingdom in July, were banned under the regulations then in force prohibiting the import of goods from Argentina. However, following the Government's decision announced on 27 September to exempt from the trade embargo books which are neither intended for resale nor trade advertising material, Customs and Excise has arranged for the release of the goods in question.

Mr. Dalyell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reason Her Majesty's Customs and Excise distinguished between (a) newspapers and periodicals and (b) books from Argentina when allowing or refusing to allow their importation into the United Kingdom.

Mr. Channon

The import of newspapers and periodicals (other than those for resale) was permitted to facilitate the free flow of information. For the same reason that exemption from the trade embargo has now been applied to those Argentinian books which are neither imported for resale nor are trade advertising material.