§ Mr. Profumoasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing what current Government agreements exist in respect of the export of tinplate; the names of the countries with which these agreements have been made; the amount of tinplate involved in each case; and the dates and duration of all such agreements.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftApart from tinplate which is made available for canning foodstuffs imported by the Ministry of Food, there are understandings about the supply of tinplate in 1951 with Denmark. Finland, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the Netherlands. I am satisfied that it would not be in our interest to make public the details of these undertakings. In accordance with letter No. 5 annexed to the Protocol supplementing the 1949 Trade and Payments Agreement with Argentina (Cmd. 8231), His Majesty's Government expressed their intention to use their best endeavours to make 27,000 tons available to Argentina in the period 23rd April, 1951, to 23rd April, 1952. Most of our tinplate exports are sent to the Commonwealth.