§ Mr Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will circulate in the Official Report figures of imports and exports from the EEC Eight and EEC Six of (a) total visible trade less crude oil and precious stones and (b) manufactures less precious stones, together with the trading balance and the rates of imports to exports, for each of the years 1970 to 1978 and the first five months of this year at an annual rate.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe available information is given in the following table. However, because of the distortions to the trade figures so far this year—see note (3)—conversion to an annual rate is not meaningful, and the table therefore gives the actual figures for the first five months.
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OTS Basis £ million (a) Total trade (0–9) less crude oil(1) and division 66(2) (b) Manufactures (5–8) less division 66(2) Exports Imports Crude balance Import/Export ratio percentage Exports Imports Crude balance Import/Export ratio percentage EEC (8) SITC(R)— 1970 2,202 2,347 -145 107 1,767 1,420 +347 80 1971 2,392 2,716 -324 114 1,927 1,692 +236 88 1972 2,733 3,382 -649 124 2,180 2,225 -45 98 1973 3,704 5,031 -1,327 136 2,897 3,347 -450 116 1974 5,155 7,322 -2,167 142 3,969 4,752 -783 120 1975 6,030 8,316 -2,286 138 4,557 5,235 -677 115 1976 8,472 10,772 -2,301 127 6,508 7,242 -734 111 1977 10,718 13,364 -2,646 125 8,319 9,289 -970 112 SITC (Rev 2)— 1977 10,803 13,491 -2,688 125 8,413 9,383 -970 112 1978 12,552 15,711 -3,159 125 9,552 11,544 -1,992 121 January-May 1979 5,906 7,943 -2,037 134 4,605 5,891 -1,286 128 EEC (6) SITC(R)— 1970 1,638 1,765 -127 108 1,337 1,234 +103 92 1971 1,792 2,046 -254 114 1,473 1,459 +14 99 1972 2,074 2,633 -559 127 1,684 1,941 -257 115 1973 2,788 4,078 -1,290 146 2,221 2,965 -744 134 1974 3,959 6,101 -2,142 154 3,144 4,266 -1,122 136 1975 4,747 6,893 -2,146 145 3,657 4,721 -1,064 129 1976 6,657 9,148 -2,491 137 5,244 6,582 -1,338 126 1977 8,420 11,371 -2,951 135 6,695 8,407 -1,712 126 SITC(Rev 2)— 1977 8,493 11,481 -2,988 135 6,772 8,485 -1,712 125 1978 9,873 13,318 -3,445 135 7,615 10,510 -2,896 138 January-May 1979 4,632 6,890 -2,258 149 3,690 5,403 -1,713 146 NOTES: (1) Crude oil defined as SITC(R) 331.01; SITC(Rev 2) 333. (2) Full details of trade in precious stones are not available, but they form about 80 per cent of Division 66 (Non-metallic mineral manufactures) trade with EEC(8). (3) The trade figures for the first five months of 1979 have been distorted by disruptions to the flow of information on which they are based and by the effect of the road haulage dispute. The distortions have reduced both exports and imports, with imports likely to have been the more affected. An explanation of the distortions was given in the Press Notice on the overseas trade figures for May, issued on 19 June