§ Mr. George Gardinerasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish a table showing (a) the surplus or deficit in trade between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union for each year since 1973 and (b) the imports of crude oil from the Soviet Union in each year since 1973; and what are the reasons behind the 408W increase in importation of crude oil from the Soviet Union.
§ Mr. MeacherFollowing is the information:
Crude deficit (£ million) (imports valued cif minus exports valued fob) Imports of crude oil* (thousand tons) 1973 229.7 221 1974 278.4 191 1975 180.5 834 1976 404.9 2,960 1977 433.2 3,027 * SITC(R) Group 331. Source: United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics. Imports of crude oil from the USSR reflect purchases made by individual companies which are a matter for their commercial judgment. It is desirable that British refiners should use the most appropriate and economical mix of crude oils to meet their various product requirements. Although imports from the USSR have been increasing, they represented only about 4 per cent. of our total imports of crude oil in 1977.