§ 3. Sir W. Darlingasked the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to stimulate sales in countries from which the United Kingdom buys more than she sells.
§ Mr. H. StraussIt is most important to increase our exports to all markets and I cannot in a short answer describe all the steps which Her Majesty's Government are taking to encourage export trade. It is particularly important to increase our sales to North America and, as my hon. Friend is aware, it is our policy to give special help to exporters to that market, for example, by preferential supplies of raw materials and export credit facilities.
§ 4. Sir W. Darlingasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a list of the countries from which the United Kingdom bought more than those countries bought from the United Kingdom, and the respective amounts of trade with each country, for the latest available convenient period.
§ Mr. H. StraussI would refer my hon. Friend to Table IV of the monthly accounts relating to Trade and Navigation of the United Kingdom, in which the statistics of our trade with each country of the world are set out in a form which enables the balance of trade with individual countries to be readily ascertained. He will no doubt, bear in mind that imports are valued c.i.f. whereas exports are valued f.o.b.