Motor Industry (Hansard, 22 March 1994)

§ Mr. Austin Mitchell
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the development of the British car industry in the Common Market since 1975 and the extent to which forecasts made at that time were fulfilled.

§ Mr. Sainsbury
Relevant statistics relating to the development of the British motor industry can be found in the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' annual publication "Motor Industry of Great Britain—World Automotive Statistics" which is held in the Library of the House.

§ Mr. Austin Mitchell
To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 23 February,Official Report, column 229, to what extent his Department is responsible for collecting information concerning the effect of the change in the terms of trade for manufactures on production and trade in motor cars; what steps had been taken by him or on his behalf to secure such information and with what result; what account will be taken of this matter in the following White Paper on competitiveness; what steps his Department has taken to obtain the information from trade organisations and academics specialising in the development of the car industry; and if he will now do so.

§ Mr. Sainsbury
Data relating to international trade by the United Kingdom are collected by Customs and Excise and published by the Central Statistical Office. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders also publishes trade statistics calculated from the data collected by Customs and Excise. The CSO also compiles the producer price index for motor vehicles and parts thereof, but no separate index is published for motor cars alone. Data are not collected relating to the prices at which new cars are sold at retail distribution to final buyers within the United Kingdom.
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The terms of trade of motor cars in international markets and their production are determined by market forces, including the competitiveness of individual car manufacturers.
The White Paper on competitiveness will be presented to Parliament later this year.