§ Mr. Austin MitchellTo ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether computers are classified as consumer or capital goods in the CSO press release on monthly trade figures; what contribution they made to the volume of imports and exports in the current year; and what were the figures for 1985.
§ Mr. LilleyComputers are classified as capital goods in the analysis of finished manufactures by broad economic category in the monthly trade figures press release. The 459W table gives the information requested in value terms; indices of volume are not available at this level of disaggregation.
Trade in computers1 as a percentage of total trade 1985 19892 Exports 1.8 4.1 Imports 3.1 3.4 1 Defined as SITC 752. 2 January to September.