§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has to improve trade with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; and to which industries in the west midlands his efforts are directed.
§ Mr. ChannonThe Government continue to support mutually advantageous trade with the Soviet Union, and British companies wishing to export there have my Department's full and active assistance. The British Soviet joint commission meets annually to review the scope for increased economic, industrial, scientific and technological cooperation between our two countries. In the course of the last session of the joint commission, which took place in London in May 1983, two new working groups were established to explore the scope for increased trade in the fields of agriculture, food processing and packaging and machinery and equipment. The latter group is initially considering the automotive sector, which is of particular relevance to industry in the West Midlands. The next session of the joint commission is due to take place in the Soviet Union in May 1984.