§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Lord Privy Seal (1) if he has accepted the common customs tariff of the European Economic Community of 9 per cent. on cocoa beans; and what estimate he has made of the effect of this on the trade to Great Britain of Commonwealth countries which do not wish to become associated States;
(2) what common customs tariff he is proposing for cocoa paste, cocoa butter and cocoa powder, respectively, in the Common Market negotiations.
§ Mr. HeathWhen the new Association Convention under Part IV of the Rome Treaty comes into force, the common external tariff on cocoa beans will be reduced from 9 per cent. to 5.4 per cent. It has been provisionally agreed that this tariff should be applied by gradual stages to exports to the United Kingdom from those Commonwealth countries which decide not to become associated with the Community. The production of cocoa beans by the present associates is far less than would be the requirements of the enlarged Community, and exports to the existing Community by those countries which are not considered likely to36W become associates are very much larger than their exports to the United Kingdom. The benefit these countries will derive from the cut in the common external tariff is therefore likely to outweigh the effect of the imposition of the tariff on their exports to Britain.
We are at present negotiating with the Community about the level of the common external tariff for semi-processed cocoa products and I cannot disclose the nature of our proposals.