§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reply he has sent to Mr. Graham Greene of Jonathan Cape and Co., publishers, who have made representations to him suggesting that his decision to seize books, published by Cape's, and dispatched from Buenos Aires to their London office, constitutes a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe Treasury has no record of receiving this letter.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the titles of the books in the parcels dispatched from Buenos Aires and seized at Dover, which were addressed to (a) the British Library, (b) the Scott Polar Research Institute, (c) the University Library in Cambridge, (d) the Bodleian Library in Oxford, (e) the Library of the University of Essex, (f) the Library of the University of St. Andrews and (g) the Institute of Latin American Studies; what is his policy towards the method of destruction of books imported from Argentina seized in this way; and what books imported from Argentina have been forfeited to the Crown.
§ Mr. HayhoeDetails of import consignments are not normally divulged by Customs without the importers' consent. If the hon. Member still requires this information he may be able to obtain it directly from the importers. It is not our intention to destroy books imported from Argentina and seized under the present ban. Any which cannot be released under the waiver recently introduced by the Government for books, other than trade advertising material or imported for resale, will be allowed to be re-exported. All those mentioned by the hon. Member, with the exception of(f), of which Customs has no knowledge, have in fact been released under the waiver.
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§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer why he seized five volumes of the Foreign Trade Statistics of Argentina 1979 addressed to the Oxford university Institute of Statistics.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe books were seized because they were imported in contravention of the Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954. They were released following the Government's decision to exempt books, other than trade advertising material or imports for resale, from the ban on imports of goods which have been exported from Argentina.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reason he impounded a book published by Jonathan Cape, and which was returned by an Argentine publisher.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe book was seized because it was imported in contravention of the Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954. It was released following the Government's decision to exempt books, other than trade advertising material or imports for resale, from the ban on imports of goods which have been exported from Argentina.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons 25 books on the history of music addressed to May and May Limited of Salisbury were seized; and what has happened to the books.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe books were seized because they were imported in contravention of the Import of Goods (Control) Order 1954. I understand that May and May Limited has been offered the opportunity to re-export them.