§ Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made since 1979 in reducing the overall level of tariffs affecting imports into and exports from the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. RedwoodUnited Kingdom imports are subject to the common customs tariff of the European Communities, whose rates have been reduced by approximately 34 per cent. overall since 1979, mainly as a result of the Tokyo round of GATT negotiations. A similar reduction has taken place in the tariffs of the United Kingdom's major trading partners. Comparable figures for other markets are not available.
The tariff negotiations in the GATT Uruguay round, which is scheduled to end in December 1990, aim to achieve reductions at least as great as the 34 per cent. resulting from the Tokyo round, and in particular to reduce high tariffs. These reductions would be phased in over a period to be agreed.