§ Sir H. Legge-Bourkeasked the President of the Board of Trade what part of the 525 tons of apples, cherries, currants, gooseberries, loganberries, pears and plums so far taken up under the present quota of 850 tons for imported frozen fruit from Soviet bloc countries, concerned blackcurrants; and if he will take steps to ensure that subsequent quotas will specify the tonnage of each of the fruits listed, and hitherto grouped together under one quota.
§ Mr. RedheadFour Eastern European countries have quotas for the import of frozen fruits into this country amounting in total to 2,025 tons for the current year. Individual licences under these quotas do not usually specify blackcurrants separately and the information which the hon. Member seeks is therefore not available.
These quotas are subject to negotiation and the countries concerned value some degree of flexibility in their use. It would not be practicable to negotiate separate quotas for all the fruits concerned but we do seek to negotiate limits to the amounts of particular types of fruit that can be brought in under the quotas, where this seems appropriate.