§ Mr. JOELasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he can give the number and names of those countries which at the present time have currency restrictions under which British firms are frequently unable to obtain payment for goods supplied?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANSome degree of control over the purchase and sale of foreign exchange is exercised in the following 33 countries:
Angola. Iran. Argentina. Italy and Italian Colonies. Austria. Bolivia. Latvia. Brazil. Lithuania. Bulgaria. Nicaragua. Chile. Paraguay. Colombia. Poland. Costa Rica. Portugal. Czechoslovakia. Portuguese East Africa. Dantzig. Denmark. Portuguese Guinea. Estonia. Germany. Rumania. Greece. Spain. Honduras. Turkey. Hungary. Uruguay. Iceland. Yugoslavia. It is not possible within the limits of question and answer to give a comparative estimate of the difficulties which the restrictions entail for United Kingdom firms in the various countries concerned. For detailed information, I would refer my hon. Friend to the memorandum "Exchange Restrictions in certain foreign countries," issued by the Department of Overseas Trade, of which I am sending him a copy. It can be supplemented where desired by direct inquiry of that Department.