HC Deb 03 August 1978 vol 955 cc576-9W
Mr. John Evans

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what has been the cost of importing refined beet sugar into the United Kingdom to the latest available date; and what were the comparable figures for each year since 1972;

(2) how much raw beet sugar has been imported into the United Kingdom to the latest available date, specifying the tonnage and country of origin in each case; and what were the comparable figures for each year since 1970;

(3) how much raw cane sugar has been imported into the United Kingdom to the latest available date, specifying the tonnage and country of origin in each case; and what were the comparable figures for each year since 1970;

(4) what has been the cost of importing raw beet sugar into the United Kingdom to the latest available date; and what were the comparable figures for each year since 1972;

(5) what tonnage of refined cane sugar is being exported to each of the EEC countries to the latest available date; and what were the comparable figures for each year since 1972;

(6) what tonnage of British Sugar Corporation refined beet sugar is being exported to each of the EEC countries at the latest available date; and what were the comparable figures for each year since 1972;

1. VALUE OF IMPORTS
(£ million cif)
January—June
1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1977 1978
Raw sugars 125.7 149.3 263.6 453.3 322.6 310.7 132.6 104.9
Refined sugars, etc. 7.0 1.9 68.0 134.9 55.3 57.1 35.3 43.5

II. RAW SUGAR—VOLUME OF IMPORTS 1970–74 WITH PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF CONSIGNMENT
Imperial tons (thousands)
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
Total of which consigned from: … 1,799.8 1,911.4 2,024.8 1,994.4 1,851.1
Mauritius … 401.9 310.6 413.3 376.9 409.3
Australia … 340.5 596.8 450.6 315.1 347.1
Brazil … — — 18.4 73.9 153.8
Guyana … 167.9 194.0 208.8 181.7 148.9
Jamaica … 238.1 227.5 231.8 258.8 135.9
Fiji … 136.5 130.5 139.9 114.1 134.3
Swaziland … 94.5 84.8 86.9 71.5 87.2
Trinidad and Tobago … 142.5 134.8 150.7 129.8 68.6
Cuba … 31.4 34.7 40.5 126.2 66.8
Barbados … 118.1 115.0 99.2 110.1 49.3
Belize … 20.5 20.5 25.3 20.4 28.9
France … 18.2 1.0 — 44.0 16.3
Other countries … 89.7 61.2 159.4 171.9 204.7

III. RAW SUGAR—VOLUME OF IMPORTS 1975 ONWARDS WITH PRINCIPAL COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN
Thousand tonnes
January-June
1975 1976 1977 1977 1978
Total of which consigned from: … 1,714.6 1,817.3 1,598.1 800.1 517.7
Mauritius … 414.4 497.5 477.6 204.6 176.4
Fiji … 208.4 132.7 194.3 52.3 31.7
Guyana … 138.3 192.3 161.7 71.1 62.1
Jamaica … 123.7 148.2 131.3 73.2 18.3
Swaziland … 101.3 156.3 111.5 30.1 33.7
France … 93.6 75.6 104.4 94.8 8.0
Trinidad and Tobago … 73.7 75.3 90.4 61.3 45.2
Reunion … — 19.3 84.7 42.2 10.1
Brazil … 94.1 89.9 67.6 54.4 7.6
Australia … 51.7 135.7 49.5 49.5 28.6
Belize … 37.9 44.1 47.1 19.4 13.7
Barbados … 50.2 — 21.8 21.8 1.5
Cuba … 11.2 127.6 — — —
Other countries … 316.1 122.8 56.2 25.4 80.8

Note: Imports of raw sugars originating from the countries listed in Tables II and III are likely all to have been cane sugar, except those from metropolitan France which can be assumed to have been beet.

(7) what amount of refined white sugar has been imported into the United Kingdom in 1978, to the latest available date; and what were the comparable figures for each year since 1972 from each of the following countries: Denmark, Luxembourg, Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Italy and Germany.

Mr. Clinton Davis

The overseas trade statistics do not differentiate between beet and cane sugars, and details of imports by country of origin are not available for so far back as 1970. Following is the available information:

IV. REFINED SUGAR—VOLUME OF TRADE WITH INDIVIDUAL EEC COUNTRIES
Tonnes
January-May
1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1977 1978
Imports
France 3,221 3,730 99,780 195,217 26,736 4,219 808 13,554
Belgium-Luxembourg 520 513 41,651 109,349 16,241 1,372 467 317
Netherlands 15,073 1,817 12,236 13,277 10,168 20,461 6,499 20,230
Federal Republic of Germany 20 44 97,462 92,958 45,671 52,273 26,145 22,310
Italy — — 21 — — — — —
Irish Republic 10,113 10,602 12,727 46,488 27,830 47,145 15,305 12,517
Denmark 3,986 — 62,697 99,507 87,643 91,066 42,679 39,053
Exports
France 21 44 10 14 2 210 5 11
Belgium-Luxembourg 57 24 12 1 6 39 2 24
Netherlands 6,782 2,112 400 35 540 10 2 24
Federal Republic of Germany 2,898 4,048 1,049 1,343 207 846 670 331
Italy 9 7 12 18 6 31 19 37
Irish Republic 5,324 8,133 1,764 4,227 13,278 1,960 272 260
Denmark 71 24 121 172 148 242 205 88