§ Mr. Gouldasked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the percentage increase in the volume of exports and imports of manufactured goods in each month since April 1976 by comparison with the same month in the preceding year.
§ Mr. MeacherThe information is as follows:
INCREASE IN THE VOLUME OF MANUFACTURED GOODS COMPARED WITH A YEAR EARLIER Seasonally adjusted Percentages Exports Imports 1976— April … … 18.2 14.6 May … … 3.5 14.2 June … …… 13.8 13.4 July … … 4.6 9.4 August … … 14.3 2.2 September … … 11.6 12.3
§ Mr. Gouldasked the Secretary of State for Trade how the annual rate of the United Kingdom's deficit in trade with Germany in manufactured goods for the first eight months of 1976, at an annual rate, compares with the figure for 1970; and whether there has been any improvement since Chancellor Schmidt said in April that the £ sterling was undervalued.
§ Mr. MeacherFor the first eight months of 1976 the United Kingdom's crude trade deficit in manufactures—that is, the difference between exports fob and imports cif—with the Federal Republic of Germany was, at an annual rate, £928 million compared with £87 million for the corresponding period in 1970. The annual rate of the deficit for January to April 1976 was £926 million and that for May to August 1976 was £930 million.