§ Sir A. Hurdasked the President of the Board of Trade if he will now make a further statement on the dumped imports of barley.
§ Mr. MaudlingI have now sufficiently completed my discussions with the countries currently exporting barley to this market at dumped or subsidised prices to take a decision. These discussions have been based on the need to establish a landed duty paid price of not less than £20 a ton for barley imported into the United Kingdom.
The Soviet authorities have given a firm assurance that no new contracts will be made act a landed price of less than £20 a ton duty paid.
Sales from the new crop in Australia will not be made in the next few months and old crop supplies are almost exhausted; the French authorities have agreed as an interim measure not to make further sales beyond existing contracts. I am discussing with both countries the minimum price at which contracts might be placed when sales are resumed.
No supplies have come in from West Germany, and the quantities exported from the U.S.A. are negligible. In these circumstances, I do not consider it necessary to impose duties under the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsides) Act, 1957. I shall, however, keep a close 169W watch on imports of barley and if in future sales from any source are made at below a landed duty paid price of £20 per ton and are dumped or subsidised, I shall not hesitate, failing equivalent assurances, to impose the appropriate duties.