HC Deb 29 November 1974 vol 882 cc305-6W
Mr. Sillars

asked the Secretary of State for Trade what steps his Department is taking to maintain trading contacts with our traditional non-EEC markets; and if he will initiate a study of the potential in these and other non-EEC markets in

UNITED KINGDOM DIRECT INVESTMENT OVERSEAS*
£ million
1968 1969 1970 1971 1972
Belgium and Luxembourg 24.9 22.5 13.3 57.7 30.8
Denmark 1.1 0.8 1.7 3.8 8.7
France 8.5 18.0 26.5 34.9 60.4
Irish Republic 2.4 20.2 13.7 20.7 10.4
Italy 2.6 8.9 8.1 13.9 24.4
Netherlands 14.6 14.0 9.8 52.9 42.7
Western Germany 22.2 41.0 20.1 103.1 64.1
Total 76.3 125.4 93.2 287.0 241.5
* Excluding oil.

the event of the British people rejecting continued membership of the Common Market.

Mr. Deakins

The study of the potential for United Kingdom exports in the markets of the world as a whole is an essential and continuing task of my Department. The Government maintain full-time commercial staff at some 200 embassies, high commissions and consulates in over 100 countries. These officers provide British industry with a continuous flow of information about specific trading opportunities, general market conditions and the needs and requirements of potential buyers in virtually every part of the world. The results flow to exporters through the British Overseas Trade Board's Export Intelligence Service.

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