HC Deb 22 January 1990 vol 165 cc499-500W
Mr. Fry

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he intends to take to reduce the current imbalance of tariff and non-tariff barriers in footwear trade with(a) Thailand, (b) Brazil, (c) Australia, (d) India and (e) Japan.

Table 1
Trade balances in manufactures1
United States $ billion
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 January to November
Japan
With:
World 134.7 160.3 163.4 176 n/a
EC 12.7 20.1 22.7 27 n/a
United Kingdom 3.4 4.7 6.0 7 n/a
Federal Republic of Germany
With:
World 67.5 89.4 104.9 113 n/a
EC 24.5 38.1 50.6 60 n/a
United Kingdom 7.4 9.9 12.9 15 n/a
United States of America
With:
World -112.9 -144.9 -152.1 -146 n/a
EC -22.5 -29.0 -27.4 -20 n/a
United Kingdom -1.3 -3.0 -1.9 n/a
United Kingdom
With:
World -7.5 -11.8 -16.1 -30.8 -31.0
EC -12.3 -15.9 -18.2 -23.9 -23.0
1 Standard International Trade Classification, sections 5 to 8.
n/a—Not available.

Note: Imports valued inclusive of insurance and freight, exports valued exclusive.

Sources:

United Kingdom—Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.

Others—OECD except 1988 which are estimated from national sources.

Mr. Redwood

We and our Community partners fully support the objectives of the Uruguary round of multilateral trade negotiations in GATT, which include the specific aim of reduction or elimination by all participants of high tariffs and non-tariff measures.

The European Commission negotiates for the Community in GATT. It has details of all the concerns expressed to us by the United Kingdom footwear industry, and these will be carefully taken into account in formulating the Community's position in these negotiations.

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