§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the restrictions on trade with Vietnam; and if he has any proposals to lift them.
§ Mr. RedwoodThe import of those goods which are normally restricted from state trading countries are totally restricted from Vietnam. The products covered by this 65W embargo are matches, footwear, TV sets, gloves, headgear, some agricultural products and a wide range of textile products. The United Kingdom has, however, opened quotas for imports of a number of products as shown in the table. The import of any other goods from Vietnam is not restricted.
These restrictions are subject to regular review, in the light of foreign and trade policy considerations.
In addition, goods, and technical documents for such goods, listed in schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1989, as amended, require an export licence before they can be exported to any country.
I have no proposals to remove such controls for Vietnam. However, together with our partners in the Co-ordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls—COCOM—we are currently examining the scope for modifications to the list of goods subject to export control.
Product Quota level (1990) Tableware of porcelain, china or pottery; ornaments or statuettes £23,100 Bedlinen, tablelinen, curtains; synthetic yarn and woven fabrics of synthetic yarn (MFA categories: 20, 23, 34, 35, 36, 39, 40) 7 tonnes