§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Prime Minister whether the Government will appoint a committee of inquiry to consider why imports of manufactures are rising faster than exports.
§ The Prime MinisterNo. Trends in trade in manufactured goods are kept under regular review by the Department of Trade and Industry. In addition, trade in386W manufactured goods with the EC has recently been considered by the House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee and the trade balance in manufactured goods is currently the subject of an inquiry by the House of Lords Select Committee on Overseas Trade.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Prime Minister if she will publish in the Official Report a table showing the increase in the unit value and volume of imported manufactures since 1970 and 1978, respectively.
§ The Prime MinisterThe information is as follows:
Imports of manufactures Percentage changes over periods Unit value indices Volume indices 1970–1984 +336 +194 1978–1984 +52 +47