§ Mr. Leaveyasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement about the tariff negotiations with Switzerland under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
§ Sir D. EcclesYes. The tariff negotiations between Switzerland and a number of contracting parties to the G.A.T.T., including the United Kingdom, have now been completed. The negotiations were a preliminary to Switzerland's provisional accession to the General Agreement on 22nd November. The tariff commitments to be undertaken by Switzerland will benefit a wide range of United Kingdom exports. They relate to the rates of duty in the new Swiss tariff which will come into effect in the course of 1959. On our side we have agreed to some limited reductions in the duties on a number of products of interest to Switzerland. An Order will be laid after the Christmas Recess to give effect to these reductions.
Copies of the tariff Schedules showing the new maximum rates of duty agreed in the negotiations will be published in Geneva today and will be made available in this country through the Stationery
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1957 1958 — Jan.-Mar. Apr.-June July-Sept. Oct. Total Jan.-Mar. Apr.-June July-Sept. Oct. Total R.A.F. Apprentices 425 398 *624 — 1,447 435 262 *593 — 1,290 Boys 586 617 — ‡743 1,946 579 †907 — 897 2,383 9 years and over 768 657 598 309 2,332 1,152 1,582 1,397 508 4,639 5–8 years 1,161 705 502 235 2,603 623 819 1,056 583 3,081 4 years 806 189 244 117 1,356 315 320 327 135 1,097 3 years 3,052 1,498 1,072 533 6,155 1,970 2,011 2,283 991 7,255 Total 6,798 4,064 3,040 1,937 15,839 5,074 5,901 5,656 3,114 19,745 W.R.A.F. TOTAL 394 295 266 97 1,052 328 415 403 149 1,295 * Total Entry (includes belated October entrants). † Total Entry (includes belated July entrants). ‡ Total Entry (includes belated November entrants). Office. Copies will be placed in the Library as soon as the Schedules are to hand.