HC Deb 13 January 1988 vol 125 c305W
24. Mrs. Golding

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by how much the percentage of Britain's domestic market met by imports of motor cars changed between 1979 and June 1987; an what are the comparable figures in the average, best and worst performing Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country.

Mr. Atkins

Data on import penetration for OECD countries are incomplete and not available beyond 1985. In the United Kingdom, imports accounted for 51 per cent. of the value of sales of motor vehicles in 1985, compared with 41 per cent. in 1979, a proportionate increase of 23 per cent. Among those OECD countries for which data are available, including most major producers, there was an average proportionate increase of 29 per cent., ranging from 72 per cent. in the United States to a fall of 20 per cent. in Italy.