HC Deb 19 July 1971 vol 821 cc193-4W
59. Mr. Wilkinson

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is his estimate of the percentage of total wool textile imports by the Common Market countries and Commonwealth, respectively, that are of British origin at the latest available date, and, in the case of the Commonwealth, by how much this figure differs from that for 1957.

Mr. Anthony Grant

: 5½ per cent. for the Common Market countries in 1969 ; and, for the five main countries accounting for much the greater part of all Commonwealth imports of these goods, about 30 per cent. in 1969 compared with 64 per cent. in 1957.

61 and 64. Mr. Roper

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) in what respects the European Economic Community's Common Trade Policy differs from the United Kingdom's restrictions on trade with Eastern Europe ;

(2) if the agreements reached in the negotiations with the European Economic Community would require, in the event of the United Kingdom's accession to the Community, liberalisation of the United Kingdom's restrictions on trade with Eastern Europe and permit an expansion of that trade.

Mr. Noble

With permission, with Question No. 61 I will also answer Question No. 64, to which I have been asked to reply.

The Community's commercial policy towards Eastern Europe, like our own, is based on a progressive liberalisation of trade. It has agreed lists of items on which member States must not maintain import restrictions against State trading countries. The adoption of these lists will only involve minor additions to our own liberalised list and we are negotiating transitional periods for a very few difficult items.