HC Deb 14 May 1969 vol 783 cc226-7W
71. Earl of Dalkeith

asked the President of the Board of Trade what was the total cost of importing timber in every form, including pulp and paper, in 1968 as compared with 1967; and what proportion of the increase was due to devaluation, a rise in prices overseas and an increase in the quantity of material imported, respectively.

Mr. Dell

£643 million in 1968 and £529 million in 1967. Nearly half of the increase was in the quantity imported; the remainder was due to price changes, but the effect of devaluation on these changes cannot be distinguished from that of other factors.