§ Mr. Robert BanksTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will list the principal manufactured products from Japan imported into the United Kingdom with the corresponding import duties applicable to those products in Japan;
(2) if he will set out the balance of trade with Japan in the last full year and the anticipated figures for the current year;
(3) if he will set out the principal products exported to Japan from the United Kingdom with their rates of import duties and the rates of duty for those same products applicable on imports to the United Kingdom from Japan.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkThe crude balance of trade with Japan for 1988—the last full year for which figures are available —was in deficit by £4,766 million. Projections of trade balances for individual countries are not available.
Principal products in our trade with Japan have been identified as those nine-digit United Kingdom commodity code numbers which had the greatest value of trade recorded against them in 1988. United Kingdom duty rates are specified for each of these nine-digit headings; Japanese duty rates are allocated according to the headings of the harmonised system which comprise the first six digits of the United Kingdom commodity code.
The tables show the top ten products listed in order of the value of trade in 1988 for United Kingdom imports of manufactures from Japan and United Kingdom exports to Japan respectively together with the requested duty rates. The products listed account for 27 per cent. of our imports of manufactures from Japan and 22 per cent. of our total exports to Japan.
More comprehensive tables showing the top 100 commodity codes in numerical order (in each case accounting for about two thirds of the overall trade) have been placed in the Library. The tables include the relevant Japanese duty rates. The descriptions of the code numbers and United Kingdom duty rates can be found in the "Integrated Tariff of the United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the Library. However, for some of the commodity codes, the descriptions are too specific to identify product groups that can be easily recognised.
If my hon. Friend requires more information about the figures, perhaps he would write to me.
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United Kingdom exports to Japan—Top 10 products in 1988 Import duty rates CCN description and code Japan United Kingdom 970110001 Paintings in oil or water colours Free Free 220830913 Blended whisky other than bourbon warehoused 3 years or more, certified, in containers holding 2 litres or less 15.7 per cent. 0.4 ecu/per cent, vol./hl +3 ecu/hi 711019100 Bars, rods, wire and sections; plates; sheets and strips of a thickness excluding any backing exceeding 015 mm of platinium Free 0.9 per cent. 870324103 New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity exceeding 3,000 cc other than station wagons/estate cars Free 10 per cent. 854380909 Electrical machines and apparatus having individual functions nes. Free Free 300490199 Medicaments nes put up in forms or in packings of a kind sold by retail 5.3 per cent. 9.6 per cent. 992099008 Postal packages not classified according to kind n.a. n.a. 294190000 Antibiotics nes 3.4 per cent. 5.3 per cent. 970600000 Antiques of an age exceeding 100 years Free Free 220830991 Wholly malt whicky other than bourbon warehoused 3 years or more, certified in containers holding more than 2 litres 15.7 per cent. 0.4 ecu/per cent, vol./hl Source:
(i) Integrated tariff of the United Kingdom.
(ii) Customs tariff schedule of Japan, National tariff published annually by Japan tariff association.
United Kingdom imports of Manufactures from Japan—Top 10 products in 1988 CCN description and code Japanese import duty rates 870323103 New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,500 cc but not exceeding 3,000 cc other than station wagons/estate cars Free 847330000 Parts and accessories of automatic data processing machines Free 870322103 New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,000 cc but not exceeding 1,500 cc other than station wagons/estate cars Free 870321101 New assembled motor vehicles of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 1,000 cc Free 852290999 Parts and accessories of sound recorders or reproducers or television image and sound recorders or reproducers nes 3.4 per cent. 851782001 Facsimile transmission machines Free 847192901 Printers for automatic data processing machines (ADP) Free 847193500 Disc storage units for ADP machines Free 900990100 Parts and accessories of electrostatic photocopying apparatus or other photocopying apparatus incorporating an optical system. Free 870323101 New assembled station wagons/estate cars of a cylinder capacity exceeding 1,500 cc but not exceeding 3,000 cc Free Source:
(i) Intergrated tariff of the United Kingdom.
(ii) Customs tariff schedule of Japan, National tariff published annually by the Japan tariff association.