§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Trade what duty is imposed against the import of electrical white goods from Australia; and what loss of home market he estimates to be threatened by imports from that country.
§ Mr. ParkinsonI shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Trade what duty was imposed by Australia against British electrical white goods in 1976–77; what is the duty now; and how exports of these products to Australia have fared over the last live years.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe information required is as follows:
Table 1 AUSTRALIAN TARIFFS 1976–77 Air conditioning machines, self-contained 25 per cent. Electrical refrigerators (including those incorporating or combined with freezers) of a kind commonly used for domestic purposes, of 200 litres or more gross internal capacity not exceeding 454 litres Of gross internal capacity As prescribed by byelaw 25 per cent. Other 47.5 per cent Of a gross internal capacity exceeding 454 litres As prescribed by byelaw 25 per cent. Other 42.5 per cent. Parts For goods of gross internal capacity not exceeding 454 litres 25 per cent. Other 25 per cent. Other refrigerators and refrigerating equipment 25 per cent. Electro-thermic domestic appliances; stoves, ranges, ovens, cookers, grillers, boiling plates, boiling rings and the like 25 per cent. Clothes drying machines of a kind commonly used for domestic purposes As prescribed by byelaw 25 per cent. Other 45 per cent. Washing machines, including those incorporating or combined with clothes drying machines As prescribed by byelaw 25 per cent. Other 40 per cent. (†= British Commonwealth tariff rate) Note
Tariff quotas were imposed on large fridges, vertical freezers, washing machines and clothes driers up to February 1978.
Chest freezers were subject to quantitative quotas up to August 1979
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Table 2 AUSTRALIAN TARIFFS 1980 Air conditioning machines designed primarily for use without ducting and having a nominally rated compressor cooling capacity of 7 kw or less, not being— (a) machines incorporating a water cooled condensing unit, or (b) for use in motor vehicles Parts 30 per cent Other 30 per cent. Other air conditioning machines 25 per cent. Electrical refrigerators (including those incorporating or combined with freezers) and electrical freezers of a kind commonly used for domestic purposes Parts 30 per cent. Chest-type freezers having a gross internal capacity of not than 350 litres 40 per cent. Other 40 per cent. Other refrigersators and refrigerating equipment 25 per cent. Electro-thermic domestic appliances; stoves, ranges, ovens, cookers, grillers, boiling plates, boiling rings and the like 25 per cent. Clothes drying machines 30 per cent. Washing machines, including washing machines incorporating or combined with clothes drying machines 40 per cent.
Table 3 United Kingdom Exports of Whitegoods to Australia 1975 to 1979: Numbers 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 Air conditioning machinery, self-contained, comprising motor-driven fan and elements for changing the temperature and humidity of air 123 130 99 n.a. n.a. Food freezers (chest and upright type) not exceeding 12 cubic feet capacity 1,720 8,456 5,774 3,334 561 Combined refrigerator/freezers with separate external doors; electrically operated, domestic 419 383 524 — — Domestic refrigerators (excluding refrigerator/freezers); electrically operated 21,008 39,507 48,498 7,767 992 Electric domestic cookers 374 136 234 533 5 Domestic electric automatic washing machines of a dry linen capacity not exceeding 6kg. 6,990 14,044 18,191 9,122 2,639 Electrically operated clothes washing machines, not exceeding a dry linen capacity of 6kg. (other than fully automatic) with built-in centrifugal drier 544 443 — 972 864 Other electrically operated washing machines, not exceeding a dry linen capacity of 6kg. (other than fully automatic and other than with built-in drier) 418 216 — 4 — Domestic tumble driers 7,426 18,043 10,059 3,356 1,748 NoteSome items are not strictly comparable throughout the period because of changes in the statistical classification.