§ Mr. Walkerasked the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations what information he has obtained from the Commonwealth Economic Council on the balance of trade and the balance of payments between the Commonwealth and the United States of America and between the Commonwealth and the European Economic Community; and whether he will publish this information for 1960, 1961, and 1962, respectively.
§ Mr. SandysThe balance of trade figures requested by my hon. Friend can be found in tables 3 to 6 of the Commonwealth Economic Committee's publication "Commonwealth Trade 1961–1962" of which I am sending him a copy. I understand that the figures for 1962 will be included in the next issue, which will be published in a few months' time.
Many Commonwealth countries, including Britain, do not keep separate balance of payments figures for their transactions with the United States of America and the European Economic Community because in conditions of convertability it is a country's balance of payments with the rest of the world, rather than with individual countries which matters.