HC Deb 20 March 1991 vol 188 cc159-60W
36. Mr. Viggers

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the development of simpler international trade procedures.

Mr. Sainsbury

The development of simpler international trade procedures is largely the responsibility of the

United Kingdom visible crude trade balances
£ million2
Division of SITC1 1979 1984 1989
04 Cereals and cereal preparations -404.0 363.7 229.4
77 Electrical machinery etc. 46.9 -1,041.4 -1,630.4
78 Road vehicles -795.1 -2,638.8 -6,932.2
1 Standard International Trade Classification (SITC), 1979 and 1984 = Revision 2; 1989 = Revision 3.
2 At current prices.

Source: Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Ralph Howell

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the value of(a) imports and (b) exports in 1980, 1985 and 1990 at current prices of (i) cereals, (ii) all agricultural products, (iii) motor vehicles,

Table 1—United Kingdom visible imports
£ million1
Section/Division of SITC2 1980 1985 1990 1990 less 1980 Net change since 1980 (per cent.)
0 Agricultural products3 of which 5,478 8,107 10,409 4,931 90
04 Cereals4 603 713 785 182 30
32 Coal, coke and briquettes 239 740 655 416 174
67 Iron and steel 1,448 1,716 2,677 1,229 85
77 Electrical machinery etc. 1,519 4,277 6,924 5,406 356
78 Road vehicles 3,352 6,801 12,587 9,235 276

Simpler Trade Procedures Board—SITPRO—a non-departmental public body supported by the Department. SITPRO's central aims are the development of international standards for electronic data interchange where it has made a particularly significant contribution to what has become known as UN/EDIFACT—United Nations electronic data interchange for administration, commerce and transport. Secondly, they work for elimination of procedural barriers to trade with particular reference to measures associated with the creation of the single European market.