§ Mr. Chapmanasked the Lord Privy Seal whether his review into the desirability and practicality of ceasing the authentication of negative certificates of origin has been completed.
§ Mr. HurdThe Government have now consulted the organisations directly concerned with the authentication of negative certificates of origin.
None of those consulted approves of the boycott or of the requirement for negative certificates of origin, which is one aspect of it. However, there was a consensus among those organisations involved
42Win each case; and in which places it is intended to appoint honorary consuls or vice-consuls to provide essential assistance in case of emergency.
§ Mr. HurdThe information requested is set out below:
with trade to the Arab countries that if the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ceased authentication of signatures on negative certificates of origin there would be an unacceptable risk to British exports. The Government agree with this view.
We have therefore concluded that in these circumstances it would be against British interests to discontinue the practice of authentication.
The main reason advanced by the Select Committee of the House of Lords for discontinuing this practice was that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office thereby gave the impression of condoning the content of the negative certificate. The Government do not condone the boycott. As has been stated on a number of occasions, it is the attesting signature on the document not the document itself which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is authenticating. We accept that there is a case for making this absolutely clear, and an explanation to this effect is now being attached to each Foreign and Commonwealth Office authentication certificate. We believe that this explanation meets the main objection raised by the Select Committee to the process of authentication, without incurring unacceptable damage to British trading interests.