§ Mr. Woolmerasked the Minister for Trade what are the main details of the agreement on the rationalisation of the Anglo-Soviet liner trade which was reached in Moscow in November; and in what specific ways it benefits the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. SproatThe main elements in the commercial agreement reached between the British shipping company—United Baltic Corporation—and its main Soviet counterparts during the annual meeting of the Anglo-Soviet Maritime Commission were as follows:
- 1. the joint liner service between Hull and Leningrad will be catered for in the main by one Russian vessel;
- 2. the joint container service between Tilbury and Leningrad will be catered for in the main by one British vessel; and
- 3. the profits—or losses—on each vessel will be shared equally between the two companies.
Imports of selected textile items consigned from Turkey (a) January-September 1981 (b) January-December 1981 (c) January-September 1982 (d) Change (a/c) Per cent. Cotton yarn and thread (tonnes) 5,359 7,723 4,026 - 25 Woven cotton fabric (tonnes) 293 840 2,774 +847 Knitted shirts (numbers) 4,000 4,500 23,759 +494 Trousers (including jeans and shorts) (numbers) 302,097 353,981 504,426 + 67 Woven shirts (numbers) — 12,876 291,022 n/a Towels (tonnes) 53 95 333 +528 Bed linen (tonnes) 187 295 480 +157 Source: Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom, SITC (R2): Cotton yarn and thread Sub-group 651.3; woven cotton fabric: Group 652; knitted shirts: Items 846.21, .32; trousers: Sub-group 842.3, parts of Items 843.92.14, and .99; woven shirts: Sub-group 844.1; towels: Items 658.45 and .46; and bed linen: Items 658.41 and .422.
Note: towelling in general is not separately identified in the statistics.