§ Sir A. Meyerasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement about the progress of the British Export Board.
§ Mr. NobleIn accordance with the decision which my right hon. Friend announced to the House on 11th May, 1971, the British Export Board was formed on 1st January, 1972, to direct the export promotion activities of the Department of Trade and Industry. The Chairman is Lord Thorneycroft. The following have been appointed as members—Sir Peter Allen, Mr. W. J. Bird, Mr. J. R. A. Bottomley, Mr. G. V. K. Burton, Mr. G. R. Denman, Mr. D. J. Ezra, Mr. R. Fell, Sir Cyril Kleinwort, Mr. J. A. Lewando and Mr. B. F. W. Scott. The Secretary of the Board is Mr. J. R. Cross of the Department of Trade and Industry.
The board has decided that its first task should be to study existing Government support of export promotion—which accounts in total for resources which, including staff costs, amount to £28 million a year—in order that it can decide on objectives and lay down a strategic plan for the board's future activities. This study, which is being carried out by a task force headed by Mr. G. V. K. Burton will take account of the several reviews recently undertaken of particular parts of the export promotion field and will involve discussions with trade associations and chambers of commerce and with a range of firms on the use which they make of Government services, their views on existing promotional activities and any changes which they consider necessary.
In the course of its initial review the board concluded that the title "British Export Board" did not fully express its 135W activities. While its executive responsibilities will remain concerned with export promotion, the board will naturally wish to take into account in the discharge of this function wider aspects of our overseas trade. I have accordingly agreed that it would be appropriate for the board to be renamed the British Overseas Trade Board.