§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what were the numbers of cars imported to and exported from Great Britain from 1st January 1976 to the latest available date; and how this compares with the comparable period in 1974 and 1975;
(2) how many cars were imported from and exported to Japan from 1st January 1976 to the latest available date.
§ Mr. MeacherFollowing is the information for cars taken from the publishedOverseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom:
world, respectively; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MeacherThe main provisions of the Treaty of Rome relating to controls, levies or quotas on imports are: Articles 9–11, which prohibit Customs duties on imports from other member States and require the adoption of a common Customs tariff on imports from the rest of the world; Articles 30–37 which prohibit quantitative restrictions on imports from other member States; Articles 108 and 109, which permit a member State to take general protective measures including restrictions on imports from all sources, but only in consultation with the Commission and with the approval of the Council of Ministers; and Articles 110–116 which concern the EEC's commercial policy towards the rest of the world, and, as extended by a large number of Community legal instruments, lay down the procedures to be followed by member States when they wish to change their arrangements for imports from third countries on a specific case by case basis. In addition, but only until the end of 1977, Article 135 of the Act of Accession by which the United Kingdom joined the EEC, allows the Government to apply to the Commission for protective measures if serious difficulties arise in a particular sector of the economy or in a particular region; the measures can 359W apply to other member States as well as to the rest of the world, but the eventual choice of measures lies with the Commission.
§ Sir Frederic Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Trade what assurances he has received, and from which countries, that there will be no retaliatory controls on British exports in the face of continuing selective import controls in the event of their extension.
§ Mr. MeacherThe Government have received no such assurances, though retaliation is not permissible against antidumping or countervailing duties imposed in accordance with the GATT Code on Anti-Dumping. "Voluntary restraint" arrangements by definition would not attract retaliation.