§ 70. Mr. Leadbitterasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the levels of imports in value and volume into the United Kingdom from New Zealand; what are the figures for lamb and butter given separately for the years 1968, 1969, 1970; what steps he has taken to protect New Zealand exports during the Common Market negotiations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RipponThe value of imports from New Zealand in 1970 was £204 23W million of which 290,000 tons of lamb accounted for £80 million and 155,700 tons of butter accounted for £46 million; figures for earlier years are given in Volume II of the Annual Statement of Trade. The statistics called for in answer to the second part of the Question are given in the table below.
UNITED KINGDOM IMPORTS OF SHEEPMEAT AND BUTTER FROM NEW ZEALAND 1968 1969 1970 £ Cwt.. £ Cwt.. £ Cwt.. Mutton—fresh chilled or frozen 4,020,650 645,689 3,599,350 538,947 2,909,877 361,622 Mutton edible offals 1,106,596 101,240 1,145,161 90,899 1,438,489 90,089 Mutton corned 16,341 711 4,052 193 — — Mutton other in airtight containers 13,408 642 22,751 1,114 16,500 804 Lamb fresh — — — — 7,410 519 Lamb chilled or frozen 67,394,380 5,665,245 78,744,030 5,990,862 74,002,765 5,457,411 Lamb offals 4,843,829 310,023 5,474,324 316,651 6,058,480 314,064 Lamb offals in airtight containers 117,901 5,579 96,335 4,426 91,834 4,140 Butter—Natural 50,877,886 3,510,225 54,855,347 3,782,738 46,423,360 3,113,826 Butter—Other 3,578 220 — — — —
§ 74. Mr. David Jamesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Common wealth Affairs whether he will set up a small group of bankers to report whether the proposed safeguards for Common wealth sugar will have any adverse effect on the credit-worthiness of the producer countries involved.
§ Mr. RipponNo. The Community's assurance is designed to safeguard all aspects of the problems of the developing Commonwealth Sugar Agreement countries. The offer of association together with the specific reference to sugar, provide a basis on which quantities exported, prices and levels of employment may be safeguarded.
§ 75. Mr. David Jamesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the pro posed safeguards for Commonwealth sugar extend to Swaziland as well as the other countries named.
§ Mr. RipponYes.
§ 76. Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Common wealth Affairs to what extent he estimates that the assurances given under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement that, if Great Britain joins the European Economic Community, Her Majesty's Government cannot be committed to continuing contractual obligations after 31st
24WWith regard to the last part of the Question, I have nothing to add to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for West Ham, North (Mr. Arthur Lewis), on 26th April, and to the right hon. Member for Leeds, East (Mr. Healey) and the hon. Member for Gloucestershire, West (Mr. Loughlin) on 17th May.—[Vol. 816, c. 8–9; Vol. 817, c. 888 and 902–3.]
December, 1974, and will consult with the other parties to secure means of fulfilling the objectives which these obligations would otherwise fulfil, differ from the assurances given to Commonwealth sugar producers by the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponThe linked offers of assurances on sugar and options under the 1963 Declaration of Intent now made by the Community exceed in certain respects the commitment under the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement. Not only are they designed to cover all factors relevant to future sugar production, such as quantities, prices and employment. They also afford access to the markets of the enlarged Community for other products. There will of course be full consultation with Governments of developing Commonwealth Sugar Agreement countries about the Community's declaration.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimates he has made of the effect of the latest agreement reached in Brussels with the European Economic Community on United Kingdom imports of sugar from the Commonwealth on the provision of aid by the United Kingdom to developing countries.
§ Mr. WoodI have no reason to believe that additional aid will be required as a result of this agreement.
25W
§ Mr. Deakinsasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he has negotiated safeguards to prevent any expansion of sugar beet production in an enlarged European Economic Community which would adversely affect the interests of commonwealth cane sugar producers after 1974.
§ Mr. RipponLevels of sugar beet production in an enlarged Community will be governed by the Community's regulations, as they are in the present Community. The relevant provisions are reviewed annually and it would be reason able to expect the review to take account of the Community's assurances on sugar from developing Commonwealth countries.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the cost of the official luncheon held by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in Brussels on 11th May for the Foreign Ministers of the Six; and what was the purpose of the function.
§ Mr. RipponThe cost of the luncheon was £194.59. It provided an opportunity for valuable informal discussions at an important juncture in the European Economic Community negotiations.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will place in the Library the full text of the public statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in Brussels on Tuesday 11th May, 1971, concerning the nature of the discussions between the United Kingdom negotiators and their counterparts from the Six.
§ Mr. RipponNo. I made no public statement on 11th May, but as is customary in the course of the day I gave two briefings to journalists which covered developments during the day in the discussions on sugar. The full texts of my statements in the negotiating conference are of course confidential, but on 17th May on my return from Brussels and Reykjavik I reported fully to the House on the previous week's negotiating meetings with the European Economic Community.—[Vol. 817, c. 882–6.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth 26W Affairs whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT full and detailed information showing to what extent the public proposals of the Ministers of the European Economic Community in Brussels on 11th May concerning Commonwealth sugar differed from those made by the Commission in November, 1970.
§ Mr. RipponNo.
Proposals made by the Commission were to the Council of Ministers of the Community; these are confidential as are the details of the proposals put to Her Majesty's Government by the Community in the negotiating conference. The nature of the Community's proposals on Commonwealth sugar and Her Majesty's Government's reaction to them, were dealt with in my statement to the House on 17th May.—[Vol. 817, c. 882–6.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is aware that confidential information regarding the Brussels negotiations is given to the Press, radio and television, by representatives of Her Majesty's Government; and whether he will reconsider his methods of informing Parliament about these talks in the light of these leaks.
§ Mr. RipponArrangements for briefing Press, radio and television correspondents during the Ministerial negotiating meetings with the European Economic Community follow standard procedures. I am not aware of any leaks attributable to representatives of Her Majesty's Government. I see no reason to vary my practice of making a statement to the House, as I did on 17th May, as soon as it is possible after each Ministerial negotiating meeting.—[Vol. 817, c. 882–6.]
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in the event of Parliament approving the instruments of accession to the Treaties of the Communities, he will propose in the accompanying legislation that the House of Commons should be able to renounce membership on behalf of the United Kingdom at any future date.
§ Mr. RipponNo.
27W
§ Sir A. Meyerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish an official translation of the assurance given by the European Economic Community relating to the interests of the sugar-producing countries of the developing Commonwealth.
§ Mr. RipponAs I told the House in my statement on 17th May, the Community declared that it would have as its firm purpose the safeguarding of the interests of the existing associate states of the Community and of those Commonwealth countries to whom the alternatives in the Community's Declaration of Intent
SUGAR PRODUCTION AND EXPORTS: WEST INDIES (including Guyana and British Honduras) Metric tons 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 BARBADOS Production 156,133 162,101 161,001 193,757 164,091 199,118 Exports 145,696 153,073 152,050 183,018 151,839 183,021 BRITISH HONDURAS Production 13,860 28,051 26,231 28,287 34,130 35,854 Exports 11,937 25,455 23,885 25,860 31,082 30,880 GUYANA Production 339,808 329,956 331,255 322,226 262,524 314,410 Exports 327,268 309,617 310,360 285,642 249,890 284,542 JAMAICA Production 431,078 446,687 440,954 491,916 481,979 496,706 Exports 366,498 384,364 375,597 400,342 423,633 430,959 LEEWARD AND* WINDWARD ISLANDS Production 80,926 78,583 71,146 69,448 65,239 53,332 Exports 67,208 67,083 60,320 61,640 58,453 46,865 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Production 221,416 249,624 204,317 230,993 230,755 254,608 Exports 190,550 218,676 170,761 191,638 189,797 209,061 TOTALS: Production 1,243,221 1,295,002 1,234,904 1,336,627 1,238,718 1,354,028 Exports 1,109,157 1,158,268 1,092,973 1,148,140 1,104,694 1,185,328 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 BARBADOS Production 174,470 211,862 167,999 144,952 160,420 Exports 167,419 194,811 161,172 129,233 148,108 BRITISH HONDURAS Production 44,716 66,555 64,974 56,128 69,753 Exports 43,594 57,014 64,340 50,351 61,366 GUYANA Production 293,505 366,755 337,884 388,662 332,826 Exports 269,961 332,545 315,939 348,435 308,147 JAMAICA Production 508,247 464,990 460,992 396,957 382,294 Exports 413,157 365,298 396,897 309,155 302,650 LEEWARD AND* WINDWARD ISLANDS Production 46,199 45,578 37,944 37,321 32,500 Exports 42,017 40,688 36,256 34,778 29,984 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Production 213,770 205,492 248,803 247,417 221,543 Exports 167,145 159,963 202,995 201,397 171,061 TOTALS: Production 1,280,907 1,361,232 1,318,596 1,271,437 1,199,336 Exports 1,103,293 1,150,319 1,177,599 1,073,349 1,021,316 Source: International Sugar Organisation.
* Antigua and St. Kitts (and St. Lucia until 1963).
28Wof 1963 have been offered, whose economies depend to a considerable extent on the export of primary products and in particular of sugar.—[Vol. 817, c. 882–6.]
§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the tonnage of sugar grown, and the tonnage of sugar exported, for the years 1960 to 1970, by the Commonwealth Caribbean islands for whom special arrangements are being sought in the negotiations with the European Economic Community.
§ Mr. RipponThe information is as follows: