§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) whether, in view of the fact that imports into the United Kingdom of leather footwear from Brazil
Type of footwear Country restrained Form of restraint Non-leather footwear Taiwan Quantitative restriction Rubber footwear State-trading countries Quantitative restriction All footwear South Korea Industry arrangement Leather footwear* Czechoslovakia Voluntary restraint arrangements Poland Romania * Arrangements for the continuation of these restraints are being sought.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations he has made to the Government of Brazil about its 170 per cent. tariff on imports of footwear; and what reply he has received.
§ Mr. ParkinsonThe Secretary of State most recently raised the question of the liberalisation of footwear imports with Brazilian Ministers during a visit he made to Brazil in May this year. The Brazilian Government are currently considering these, and other representations.
§ Mr. Lathamasked the Secretary of State for Trade what representations he has made to the Government of Brazil regarding its export tax on leather, and 16W have risen from 732,000 pairs in 1977 to 3.2 million in 1979, he will take action forthwith through the European Economic Community to raise the countervailing duty from its present 8 per cent. to 12 per cent., or else impose a quota based on the average of the last three years' imports;
(2) what response he has made to the request of the British Footwear Manufacturers Federation to impose quotas on all footwear imports from Poland and Czechoslovakia; what action he intends to take; and whether he will make a statement;
(3) what response he has made to the request of the British Footwear Manufacturers Federation to initiate action forthwith under article 19 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade against Brazil; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ParkinsonI refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him of 16 June. [Vol. 986. c.365–66.]
By inadvertence, the following information, listing the restrictions which at present apply to imports of footwear into the United Kingdom, was omitted from that answer. Kingdom, information is as follows:
the discriminatory advantage this tax gives to Brazil's footwear manufacturers; what reply he has received; and what action he proposes to take.
§ Mr. ParkinsonAt my request, the Commission has joined the United States in pressing the Brazilian Government for complete liberalisation of exports of hides and skins from Brazil. The Brazilians have stressed that their present regime is an interim one. I shall maintain the pressure for further liberalisation as soon as possible.