§ 88. Mr. Fairhurstasked the President of the Board of Trade to what extent currency restrictions are hampering Oldham textile machinery makers in their efforts to sell their products abroad; and which countries are restricting import licences on British-produced textile machinery.
§ Mr. BottomleyIt is not possible for me to say within the limits of an answer to a Parliamentary Question to what extent currency restrictions are hampering the export of textile machinery from the United Kingdom. With regard to the second part of the Question, although, with certain exceptions listed below, textile machinery may appear to be covered by import controls in the Commonwealth, all European countries, the Middle East and some South American and Far Eastern countries, these controls are not always and everywhere operated restrictively against the United Kingdom, notably in Canada and New Zealand.
No import licences are required for this machinery in Australia, the Colonies, the United States, Belgium, Switzerland, Egypt, Venezuela, Mexico, Peru, Cuba and a number of other countries, some of which however are unlikely to be buyers of textile machinery.