§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing imports 586W and exports from and to the EEC Six of, respectively, motor cars, by volume and value, commercial vehicles, by volume and value, motor vehicles and parts, iron and steel, textiles, clothing and non-electric machinery for each of the years 1970 to 1978 and for the first five months of the current year at an annual rate.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe information requested could not be provided without incurring undue cost, but some information which is readily available is to be found in the Annual Statements of Overseas Trade of the United Kingdom for the years 1970–75, the annual edition of the Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom for 1976 and 1977, and the monthly edition for December 1978 and subsequently.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is his estimate of the shortfall in the recording of imports and exports in the first five months of the current year in the case of the United Kingdom's trade with the EEC Six and the EEC Eight in the case of (a) total visible trade less crude oil and precious stones and (b) manufactures less precious stones.
§ Mr. ParkinsonIt is not possible to make such estimates for the first five months of the year in this degree of detail. It is hoped, however, that information will be available in due course to enable appropriate figures to be derived for the first half of the year as a whole.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in theOfficial Report a table showing imports and exports from each EEC country of (a) total visible trade less crude oil and precious stones and (b) manufactures less precious stones, for each of the years 1970 to 1978 and for the first six months of the current year at an annual rate and after adjustment for estimated under-recording.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe available information is given in the following table. However, as adjustments are not available in this degree of detail to correct for the under-recording of imports, and given the other distortion (see Note (‡) below), conversion to an annual rate is not meaning- 587W ful. The table therefore gives the actual figures for the first six months of 1979.
588W 589W
OTS Basis £ million Total trade (0–9)less crude oil (*)and division 66(†) Manufactures (5–8)less division 66(†) Exports Imports Exports Imports BELGIUM/LUXEMBOURG SITC (R) 1970 212 171 169 130 1971 247 195 202 145 1972 283 262 232 200 1973 395 395 319 293 1974 607 653 493 476 1975 688 837 551 549 1976 983 1,113 800 812 1977 1,253 1,422 1,014 1,015 SITC (Rev 2) 1977 1,256 1,427 1,017 1,017 1978 1,485 1,524 1,178 1,223 Jan-June 1979 855 907 660 721 DENMARK SITC (R) 1970 217 274 171 74 1971 228 300 170 95 1972 237 347 178 120 1973 323 475 236 161 1974 421 570 280 186 1975 435 617 310 186 1976 643 700 450 224 1977 734 807 525 268 SITC (Rev 2) 1977 737 811 529 272 1978 720 954 509 332 Jan-June 1979 406 514 268 192 FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY SITC (R) 1970 493 536 393 487 1971 524 636 415 582 1972 577 828 457 763 1973 769 1,329 610 1,230 1974 1,001 1,858 774 1,652 1975 1,274 1,964 972 1,711 1976 1,763 2,711 1,384 2,413 1977 2,304 3,528 1,821 3,148 SITC (Rev)2 1977 2,320 3,556 1,840 3,172 1978 2,789 4,451 2,172 4,031 Jan-June 1979 1,613 2,837 1,301 2,589 FRANCE SITC (R) 1970 333 360 281 221 1971 385 435 328 282 1972 502 591 413 408 1973 667 959 532 614 1974 902 1,310 744 838 1975 1,149 1,583 918 1,062 1976 1,665 2,052 1,340 1,453 1977 2,027 2,604 1,596 1,864 SITC (Rev 2) 1977 2,041 2,633 1,610 1,888 1978 2,416 3,112 1,850 2,338 Jan-June 1979 1,345 1,957 1,096 1,506
Exports Imports Exports Imports IRISH REPUBLIC SITC (R) 1970 … … 347 309 259 112 1971 … … 371 371 285 138 1972 … … 423 404 318 163 1973 … … 593 478 439 220 1974 … … 775 652 545 300 1975 … … 848 806 590 327 1976 … … 1,172 924 814 437 1977 … … 1,564 1,187 1,099 615 SITC (Rev 2) 1977 … … 1,573 1,199 1,113 627 1978 … … 1,959 1,438 1,429 703 Jan-June 1979 … … 1,165 763 862 398 ITALY SITC (R) 1970 … … 239 245 189 165 1971 … … 244 277 198 198 1972 … … 278 347 220 255 1973 … … 377 498 300 370 1974 … … 499 709 406 514 1975 … … 551 793 429 617 1976 … … 811 1,086 621 815 1977 … … 961 1,508 774 1,158 SITC (Rev 2) 1977 … … 966 1,519 783 1,157 1978 … … 1,104 1,897 857 1,510 Jan-June 1979 … … 698 1,155 558 884 NETHERLANDS SITC (R) 1970 … … 361 453 305 235 1971 … … 393 502 329 252 1972 … … 434 605 361 315 1973 … … 581 897 460 458 1974 … … 950 1,571 727 786 1975 … … 1,085 1,715 787 783 1976 … … 1,436 2,186 1,099 1,089 1977 … … 1,875 2,308 1,490 1,222 SITC (Rev 2) 1977 … … 1,910 2,347 1,523 1,250 1978 … … 2,079 2,334 1,558 1,409 Jan-June 1979 … … 1,175 1,506 916 876 Notes:
*Crude oil defined as SITC (R) 331.01; SITC (Rev 2) 333
†Full details of trade in precious stones are not available, but they form about 80 per cent. of Division 66 (Non-metallic mineral manufacturers) trade with EEC (8).
‡The import figures for the first six months of 1979 taken together have been distorted by disruptions to the flow of information on which they are based and the export figures by the likely once-for-all loss of shipments as a result 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 June, issued on 16th July.
§ Mr. Leightonasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will publish in theOfficial Report the forecasts contained in Government White Papers since 1970 on the effect of EEC entry on the United Kingdom's trade with the EEC broken down in detail at the time; and how these forecasts compare with the United Kingdom's performance in 1978 and in the first six months of the current year.
§ Mr. ParkinsonI will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place590W copies of my letter in the Library of the House for the information of hon. Members.