§ Mr. Russellasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give an estimate of the effect on the industries protected under key industry duty of implementing the 3 per cent. quota offer he made at the meeting of the Council of the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation on 15th December last; and if he will publish a table showing imports of goods dutiable under this duty for 1957 and an estimate for a 12-month period if the 3 per cent. quota plans were in operation.
§ Sir D. EcclesThe only goods formerly charged under the Safeguarding of Industries Act which are affected by the offer are certain scientific and optical instruments falling within a group for which it is estimated that the total annual quotas would be increased from£550,000 to£1,350,000. As, however, these quotas apply to a wide range of instruments, not all of which were charged under the Safeguarding of Industries Act, no estimate can be given of the effect on instruments so charged, nor are separate import figures available for them.