HC Deb 27 October 1980 vol 991 cc54-5W
Mr. Teddy Taylor

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing imports, exports and the trade balance in the first nine months of the year and in the calendar years from 1970 to 1979 with the EEC and with all other countries, respectively; and if he will publish separate figures of imports, exports and the trade balance in each of these periods in respect of (a) visible trade less crude oil and precious stones and (b) manufactures less precious stone.

Mr. Parkinson:

The available information is as follows:

United Kingdom trade with European Community United Kingdom trade with Rest of World
Exports Imports Crude balance Exports Imports Crude balance
Trade less crude oil† and precious stones‡
1970 … 2,197 2,347 −149 5,466 5,630 −164
1971 … 2,391 2,715 −325 6,246 5,717 +530
1972 … 2,731 3,382 −651 6,377 6,278 +99
1973 … 3,700 5,033 −1,332 −7,720 8,656 −935
1974 … 5,141 7,314 −2,173 10,266 11,054 −788
1975 … 6,030 8,316 −2,286 12,685 11,380 +1,304
1976* … 8,472 10,772 −2,301 15,390 14,574 +816
1977 … 10,807 13,493 −2,686 19,080 17,394 +1,686
1978 … 12,536 15,706 −3,170 20,483 18,957 +1,526
1979 … 15,313 19,743 −4,430 21,380 21,985 −605
1980—January—September¶ … 12,728 15,244 −2,516 18,415 18,657 −241
Trade in manufactures† less precious stones‡
1970 … 1,767 1,420 +346 4,649 2,778 +1,871
1971 … 1,927 1,691 +235 5,363 2,853 +2,511
1972 … 2,180 2,224 −44 5,460 3,305 +2,154
1973 … 2,897 3,345 −449 6,548 4,707 +1,841
1974 … 3,971 4,752 −781 8,654 6,187 +2,467
1975 … 4,557 5,234 −677 10,724 6,503 +4,222
1976* … 6,508 7,242 −734 13,099 8,291 +4,808
1977 … 8,413 9,383 −970 16,229 10,173 +6,056
1978 … 9,542 11,540 −1,998 17,395 11,790 +5,605
1979 … 11,706 14,729 −3,023 17,991 13,645 +4,346
1980—January—September¶ … 9,547 11,414 −1,867 15,486 11,619 +3,867
* Figures up to 1976 are on an SITC Rev 1 basis, and subsequently on Rev 2. The resulting discontinuity is, however, very small.
† SITC 331.01 (Rev 1); SITC 333 (Rev 2).
‡ Taken as SITC 66 (Non-metallic mineral manufactures not elsewhere specified) as full details of trade in precious stones with the European Community is not available for all these years. In value terms, precious stones now account for about 70 per cent. of the United Kingdom's trade with the Community under SITC 66.
§ SITC 5–8.
¶ Not seasonally adjusted.
Source: Overseas Trade Statistics.