§ 36. Mr. Jayasked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what are his proposals for extending Commonwealth preference in the United Kingdom to all developing countries; and whether he has discussed the proposals with other Commonwealth Governments.
§ Mr. HeathHer Majesty's Government are prepared to extend tariff preferences to all developing countries subject to the following conditions; first, that all other major industrialised countries will do so; secondly, that those Commonwealth countries which have guaranteed preferences in our market are prepared to agree to share them with developing countries; and, thirdly, that new preferences are created not by raising most-favoured-nation rates, but by lowering or abolishing duties on imports from developing countries. The answer to the last part of the Question is "Yes".
§ 40. Mr. Oramasked the Secretary of State for Industry, Trade and Regional Development what estimate he has made of the present amount of United 83W Kingdom imports from non-Common-wealth developing countries which would be freed from tariffs under the proposals he put forward in his speech at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; and how much trade from Commonwealth developing countries would be freed from tariffs by other industrial countries under the proposed reciprocal arrangements.
§ Mr. HeathNo useful estimate can at this stage be made of the trade involved since the products to be the subject of preferences and the level of the preferential rates would be for international consultation. We should have to be satisfied that developing Commonwealth countries received advantages in other markets to compensate them for sharing with other developing countries their preferences in Britain.