§ LORD ASKWITHasked whether the heavy duty imposed by the Customs authorities on stork eggs and storks, 350WA recently imported for scientific experiments regarding migration (as described in The Times of June 8), are in accordance with the law; if so, whether departmental instructions could be issued or a regulation made under the appropriate Act by which such duties could, in future, be relaxed or abolished in the case of scientific, investigations carried out by, or under control of, a responsible organisation, or if the Act does not provide any latitude for remission or exemption, would the Government consider appropriate action in the direction above indicated.
§ LORD TEMPLEMOREUnder the Import Duties Act, 1932, imported storks and stork eggs of foreign origin are chargeable with Customs duty at the rate of 10 per cent.ad valorem, and there is at present no provision in the law under which it would be possible to permit the duty-free admission of importations of the kind to which the noble Lord refers. With regard to the last part of the Question, the attention of the noble Lord is drawn to Clause 8 of the Finance Bill, 1936, which empowers the Import Duties Advisory Committee to recommend the duty-free admission of goods intended to be used in scientific research.
House adjourned at two minutes before eight o'clock.