§ 31. Mr. WallTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by how much the percentage of Britain's domestic market met by imports of textiles changed between 1979 and June 1987; and what is the comparable figure in the average, best and worst performing Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development country.
§ Mr. AtkinsThe latest available data refer to 1985, when the level of import penetration in the United Kingdom was 42 per cent., compared with 28 per cent. in 1979, a proportionate increase of about 48 per cent. The average proportionate increase among the OECD countries was 2 per cent., ranging from an increase of
OECD countries trade in textiles1 US $ billion Exports Imports Export/import ratio per cent. Change in export/import ratio per cent. 1979 1986 1979 1986 1979 1986 Australia 0.1 0.1 1.0 1.2 11 12 13 Austria 1.0 1.2 1.0 1.2 92 99 8 Belgium/Luxembourg 3.2 3.9 2.1 2.2 152 175 16 Canada 0.2 0.4 1.4 1.8 18 22 24 Denmark 0.4 0.5 0.7 0.8 53 57 8 Finland 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.6 28 30 8 France 3.4 3.9 3.9 4.7 88 83 -6 Germany 6.1 8.2 6.5 6.8 94 120 28 Greece 0.4 0.5 0.2 0.6 195 95 -51 Ireland 0.4 0 4 0.5 0.4 86 89 4 Italy 4.2 6.0 2.6 3.6 163 167 2 Japan 4.0 5.5 2.1 2.3 190 243 28 Netherlands 2.2 2.5 2.1 2.4 104 103 -1 New Zealand 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.4 22 38 68 Norway 0.1 0.1 0.4 0.5 25 22 -12 Portugal 0.6 0.8 0.2 0.5 310 147 -52 Spain 0.6 0.8 0.3 0.6 189 137 -28 Sweden 0.4 0.5 0.9 0.9 41 54 32 Switzerland 1.4 1.9 1.0 1.3 135 144 7 Turkey 0.3 0.9 0.0 0.2 704 587 n/m United States 3.2 2.6 2.3 5.8 139 44 -68 United Kingdom 2.8 2.5 3.6 4.6 79 54 -32 OECD less Iceland 35.3 43.6 33.8 43.6 104 100 -4 1 Standard International Trade Classification division 65. Note: Because the amount of trade varies widely among these countries, changes in the ratio of exports to imports provide a more reliable measure than changes in the balances.
Source: OECD.