§ Mr. Cyril D. Townsendasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Soviet 600W trade inspectors there are in the United Kingdom, monitoring the manufacture by British companies of goods and equipment to be delivered to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics under export contracts; and how the figure compares with those for the last five years.
§ Mr. RifkindAt present there are 31 Soviet trade inspectors in the United Kingdom. Some monitor either the manufacture by British firms of goods and equipment for delivery to the USSR or certain Soviet imports to this country. Others work as specialist commodity experts attached to British import-export companies. Since the requirement for these inspectors derives directly from commercial contracts, their number fluctuates considerably. Over the past five years there have been between 30 and 70 inspectors approximately in the United Kingdom at any one time.