§ Mr. Hirstasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the Committee which he appointed to review current procedures for consultation with industry in connection with bilateral trade negotiations has now reported.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftYes. The report of this Committee, which I received from my hon. Friend the Secretary for Overseas Trade on 2nd July, is being published today and I am arranging for copies to be placed in the Vote Office immediately. I should like to express my warm thanks to the Committee for their full and careful inquiry and report.
The Committee recognise that the field of trade subject to bilateral agreements is a limited one, but have made a number of suggestions for improving consultation between Government and industry in those cases where it is necessary to negotiate such agreements. In particular they have recommended the appointment 190W of a Standing Committee to ensure that arrangements for consultation are carried out smoothly and in good time to make them fully effective. I have considered the Committee's recommendations, which I gladly accept. I propose to arrange for the establishment of the proposed Standing Committee in the near future.