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Property Purchases
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether Her Majesty's Government have been asked by the Commission of the European Communities to comment upon the principal report by Wilde Sapte and Maclay Murray and Spens, entitled "Information and Protection of Transactions concerning Immovable Property Purchased by Consumers", which it commissioned ; and what his policy is on the conclusions of that report ;
(2) what information he has concerning the conclusions of the report "Information and Protection of Transactions concerning Immovable Property Purchased by Consumers" which was commissioned by the Commission of the European Communities and received by the Commission in August 1993 ; and if he will make a statement ; (3) what consultations with industry have been undertaken by his Department in connection with the report "Information and Protection of Transactions concerning Immovable Property Purchased by Consumers" commissioned by the Commission of the European Communities ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(4) what recent representations he has received from (a) the House Builders Federation, (b) the Manufacturing and Construction Industries Alliance and (c) other bodies concerning the report "Information and Protection of Transactions concerning Immovable Property Purchased by Consumers" which was commissioned by the Commission of the European Communities ; and if he will make a statement ;(5) if he will make a statement indicating the position of Her Majesty's Government on those provisions of the report "Information and Protection of Transactions concerning Immovable Property Purchased by Consumers" which deal with (a) legal advice given to purchasers of property, (b) standard contracts used by developers, (c) the use of technical reports from surveyors, and (d) the time scale of property purchase and local authority searches ; and to what extent in each case the proposals are consistent with his Department's deregulation initiative ;
(6) if he will make a statement indicating the position of Her Majesty's Government on those provisions of the report "Information and Protection of Transactions concerning Immovable Property Purchased by Consumers" which deal with (a) financial advice on the purchase of property, (b) provision of information concerning planning issues, (c) taxation associated with property transfer, (d) secure deposit holding schemes, (e) arrangements for purchase of property off plan and prior to construction, (f) arrangements for land registration, (g) curbs on the ability of vendors to negotiate with more than one potential purchaser, (h) further regulation of estate agents and mortgage arrangers, (i) further requirements on the disclosure by advisers of their relationship with others and (j) further restrictions on the content of property advertising ; and to what extent in each case the proposals are consistent with his Department's deregulation initiative ; (7) if he will make a statement indicating the position of Her Majesty's Government on those provisions of the report "Information and Protection of Transactions concerning Immovable Property purchased by Consumers" which deal with (a) further restrictions relating to guarantees of construction standard, (b) further regulation of joint ownership, leasehold and service charge arrangements, (c) creation of new pan-European bodies to regulate property purchase, (d) proposals to prevent market dominance by building societies and banks in lending for property purchase and (e) attempts to limit commission rates for sale of property ; and to what extent in each case the proposals are consistent with his Department's deregulation initiative.
Mr. Needham [holding answers 21 March 1994] : My Department has received from a trade association a copy of this report to the European Commission. It has not been asked by the Commission to comment nor consulted industry, though representations have been received from the House Builders Federation. It is important that, if consideration is given to Community legislation on property transactions, full account is taken of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality and of the need to avoid imposing unnecessary burdens on business. This view will be communicated to the Commission.
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Textile Outputs
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) by what percentage output of worsted yarn changed between 1987 and 1992 in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany, (c) France and (d) Italy ; if he will publish a table showing United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of worsted yarn in 1970, 1979, 1987 and 1992, together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to reach the 1987 level ;
(2) what was the percentage change in the level of output of cotton cloth between 1988 and 1992 in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy ; if he will publish a table showing United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of cotton cloth in 1970, 1979, 1988 and 1992, together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to reach the 1988 level ;
(3) what was the United Kingdom output of tufted carpets between 1988 and 1992 and the corresponding figure for Germany, France and Italy ; if he will list United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of tufted carpets in 1970, 1979, 1988 and 1992 together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to equal the 1988 level ; (4) what was the United Kingdom output of weatherproof outerwear in each year since 1988 and the corresponding figure for Germany, France and Italy ; if he will list United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of waterproof outerwear in 1970, 1979, 1988 and 1992 together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to equal the 1988 level ;
(5) what were the percentage changes in the output of footwear between 1987 and 1991 in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy ; if he will publish a table showing United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of footwear in 1970, 1979, 1987 and 1992, together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to reach the 1987 level ;
(6) what was the United Kingdom output of woven carpets with yarn containing 50 per cent. or more by weight of wool between 1989 and 1992 ; what were the corresponding figures for Germany, France and Italy ; if he will publish a table showing United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of such carpets in 1970, 1979, 1989 and 1992 together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to reach the 1989 level ;
(7) what was the percentage change in the output of worsted cloth between 1987 and 1992 in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) Germany, (c) France and (d) Italy ; if he will publish a table showing United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of worsted cloth in 1970, 1979, 1987 and 1992, together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to reach the 1987 level ;
(8) what was the United Kingdom output of clothing, hats and gloves in each year since 1988 ; what were the corresponding figures for Germany, France and Italy ; if he will list United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of clothing, hats and gloves in 1970, 1979,
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1988 and 1992 together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to equal the 1988 level ;(9) what was the change in United Kingdom output of men's and boys' tailored outerwear between 1988 and 1992 with the corresponding figure for Germany, France and Italy ; if he will list United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of such outerwear in 1970, 1979, 1988 and 1992 together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to equal the 1988 level ;
(10) by how much output of cotton yarn other than waste yarn changed between 1988 and 1992 for the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy ; if he will publish a table showing United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of cotton yarn in 1970, 1979, 1988 and 1992, together with the numbers employed in the United Kingdom industry ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to reach 1988 levels ;
(11) what was the change in United Kingdom output of textiles between 1988 and 1992 with the corresponding figure for Germany, France and Italy ; if he will list United Kingdom production, imports, exports and consumption of textile yarn in 1970, 1979, 1988 and 1992 together with the numbers employed ; and when he expects United Kingdom output to equal the 1988 level ;
(12) if he will make a statement on the scale of the output of wool cloth in the United Kingdom compared with the corresponding figures for Italy and France in 1993 ; and if he will publish a table showing the corresponding percentages for 1973 and 1979 together with, for each of the three years (i) production imports, exports and consumption of wool cloth by each of the three countries and (ii) United Kingdom imports from and exports of wool cloth to each of the other three countries.
Mr. Needham : The available information may be found in the "Annual Abstract of Statistics", the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", publications in the Business Monitors series, the Employment Gazette, the United Nations "Industrial Statistics Yearbook" and "Monthly Bulletin of Statistics", and the "Textiles Bulletin". Data are also available from the Central Statistical Office's central shared database, and from Eurostat's CRONOS database. All of the above data sources are in the Library of the House.
Manufacturing Trade
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the change in the level of United Kingdom imports of semi- manufactures since 1970, and the change in the level of exports ; what were the corresponding figures for imports and exports from the EEC Twelve ; what was the corresponding increase in the United Kingdom output, in import penetration, and in the import content of United Kingdom output of finished manufactures ; and how many manufacturing jobs were lost as a consequence.
Mr. Needham : Information on United Kingdom visible trade is regularly published in "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom". Copies of this publication are available in the Library of the House. Semi- manufactures are defined by sections 5 and 6 of the standard international trade classification.
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Owing to major difference between the industrial and trade classifications, it is not possible to provide comparable information on United Kingdom production and employment.Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the percentage change since United Kingdom entry into the EEC of the United Kingdom, French and Italian shares of exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries and the reasons for the difference in performance.
Mr. Needham : The information can be readily derived from table E2 of the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", published by the Central Statistical Office, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. The Department has not undertaken a study of the reasons for the difference in manufactures export share between the United Kingdom, France and Italy since United Kingdom entry into the EEC.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish a table showing the increase in each quarter since the third quarter of 1992, taking that quarter as a base equal to 100, in export unit values for finished manufacturers shipped to the rest of the EC and to the rest of the world together with the increase in the nominal exchange rate against the ecu and non-ecu currencies.
Mr. Needham : Unit values for exports to EC and non-EC countries, with 1990 as a base, are available from the Central Statistical Office central shared database, access to which is available in the Library of the House. Reweighting to a different base period would entail disproportionate cost.
The sterling exchange rate against the ecu is also available from the database. A single exchange rate of sterling against non-ecu currencies is not readily available. The International Monetary Fund publishes details of US dollar exchange rates against other currencies in "International Financial Statistics", which is available in the Library of the House.
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Manufacturing Exports
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what has been the change in the United Kingdom share of the volume of exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries since 1990 ; and if he will publish the latest three months' figures for the change in value since 1970 for the United Kingdom and thosecountries.
Mr. Needham : The information can be readily derived from table E1 of the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", published by the Central Statistical Office, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Information on the latest three months' change in the value of exports manufactures by the United Kingdom and the main manufacturing countries is not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Intermediate Goods
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the change in United Kingdom output of intermediate goods since 1985 ; what is his estimate of the corresponding change in the volume of imports and exports ; and what is the implied change in import penetration.
Mr. Needham : Information on United Kingdom output and trade for intermediate goods is available from the Central Statistical Office central shared database, access to which is available in the Library of the House. There are, however, significant differences between the output and trade classifications. A reliable measure of import penetration is therefore not available.
Car Market
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the import share of the United Kingdom car market in February ; which countries gained most from the change compared to last year ; what was the movement in the rate of exchange during those 12 months ; andif he will make a statement indicating why the share changed.
Mr. Needham : The information regarding the import share of the United Kingdom car market is in thetable :
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Registrations of new cars in the United Kingdom by country of origin
February 1994 February 1993
|New cars |Percentage|New cars |Percentage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EC |129,054 |88.57 |109,012 |85.85
of which France |21,197 |14.55 |18,672 |14.70
Germany |17,473 |11.98 |15,605 |12.29
Italy |3,216 |2.20 |2,880 |2.27
Spain |10,826 |7.43 |5,068 |3.99
United Kingdom |61,864 |42,45 |58,689 |46.22
EFTA |1,746 |1.20 |1,475 |1.16
Other West European |0 |0.00 |21 |0.02
Eastern Europe |2,516 |1.73 |968 |0.76
Japan |9,398 |6.45 |12,297 |9.68
Other Countries |2,996 |2.06 |3,211 |2.53
|--- |--- |--- |---
Total imports |83,846 |57.54 |68,295 |53.78
|---- |--- |---- |---
Total |145,710 |100.00 |126,984 |100.00
Source: Monthly Registrations Press release published by The Society of Motor
Manufacturers and Traders Limited.
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Information on the rate of exchange is regularly published in table 7.1A of the Central Statistical Office's "Financial Statistics", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.Trade in the motor industry is determined by market forces and consumer preference. New car sales in Europe as a whole are still depressed, and manufacturers are stepping up their efforts in the United Kingdom, which is currently one of the few expanding markets available. The number of United Kingdom-produced cars registered in February 1994 was still 5.4 per cent. higher than that of February 1993.
Overseas Trade
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will publish a table showing (a) the ratio of imports of textiles to home demand in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1988, 1992 and his estimate for 1993, (b) the corresponding ratios for imports from the EEC, (c) output and employment in the United Kingdom industry and (d) the change since 1988 in the value and volume of (i) United Kingdom output and (ii) imports of textiles from (1) the rest of the EEC and (2) all sources ;
(2) if he will publish a table showing (a) the ratio of imports of footwear and clothing to home demand in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1988, 1992 and his estimate for 1993, (b) the corresponding ratios for imports from the rest of the EEC, (c) output and employment in the United Kingdom industry and (d) the change since 1988 in the value and volume of (i) United Kingdom output and (ii) imports of such products from (1) the EEC and (2) all sources ;
(3) if he will publish a table showing (a) the ratio of imports of motor vehicles and parts to home demand in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1988, 1992 and his estimate for 1993, (b) the corresponding ratios for imports from the EEC, (c) output and employment in the United Kingdom industry and (d) the change since 1988 in the value and volume of (i) United Kingdom output and (ii) imports of such products from (1) the EEC and (2) all sources ;
(4) if he will publish a table showing (a) the ratio of imports of chemicals to home demand in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1988, 1992 and his estimate for 1993, (b) the corresponding ratios for imports from the EEC, (c) output and employment in the United Kingdom industry and (d) the change since 1988 in the value and volume of (i) United Kingdom output and (ii) imports of such products from (1) the rest of the EEC and (2) all sources ;
(5) if he will publish a table showing (a) the ratio of imports of electrical and electronic engineering products to home demand in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1988, 1992 and his estimate for 1993, (b) the corresponding ratios for imports from the EEC, (c) output and employment in the United Kingdom industry and (d) the change since 1988 in the value and volume of (i) United Kingdom output and (ii) imports of such products from (1) the rest of the EEC and (2) all sources ;
(6) if he will publish a table showing (a) the ratio of imports of office machinery and automatic data processing equipment to home demand in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1988, 1992 and his estimate for 1993, (b) the corresponding ratios for imports from the EEC, (c) output and employment in the United Kingdom industry and (d) the change since 1988 in the value and volume of (i) United Kingdom output and (ii) imports of such products from (1) the rest of the EEC and (2) all sources ;
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(7) if he will publish a table showing (a) the ratio of imports of mechanical engineering products to home demand in 1968, 1973, 1979, 1988, 1992 and his estimate for 1993, (b) the corresponding ratios for imports from the EEC, (c) output and employment in the United Kingdom industry and (d) the change since 1988 in the value and volume of (i) United Kingdom output and (ii) imports of such products from (1) the rest of the EEC and (2) all sources.Mr. Needham : No. The available information may be found in the "Annual Abstract of Statistics", the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics", publications in the Business Monitors series, the Employment Gazette , the "Engineering Sales and Orders Digest", and the "Textiles Bulletin". Data are also available from the Central Statistical Office's central shared database, from Eurostat's CRONOS database, and from the Chemical Industries Association's "Basic International Chemical Industry Statistics". All the above data sources are in the Library of the House.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he will publish a table showing for trade with non-EEC countries the volume of imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the relative volume for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 to mid-1993 on the basis of trade in 1985 ;
(2) if he will publish a table showing for trade with the rest of the EEC unit values for imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the terms of trade for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990 and each quarter from the beginning of 1992 to mid-1993 on the basis of trade in 1985 ;
(3) whether he will publish a table showing for trade with the rest of the EEC the volume of imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the relative volume for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990 and each quarter from the beginning of 1992 to mid-1993 on the basis of trade in 1985 ;
(4) whether he will publish a table showing unit values for imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the terms of trade for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 to mid-1993 on the basis of trade in 1985 ;
(5) whether he will publish a table showing the volume of imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the relative volume for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990 and each quarter from the beginning of 1992 to mid-1993 on the basis of trade in 1985 ;
(6) if he will publish a table showing for trade with non-EEC countries the unit values for imports and exports of
semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the terms of trade for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990 and each quarter from the beginning of 1992 to mid-1993 on the basis of trade in 1985.
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Mr. Needham : Information on whole world trade on the basis of trade in 1985 was last published in "First Release, UK Balance of Payments-- Current Account in December, CSO(92)11", by the Central Statistical Office on 28 January 1993. Information prior to 1991 for whole world data can be found from earlier press releases. Information for non-EC countries was first published in "First Release, UK Balance of Trade with countries outside the European Community in January, CSO(93)27. Prior to this information on whole world data was not split into EC and non-EC data. Information on non-EC trade was last published in "First Release, Balance of Trade with countries outside the EC--June 1993, CSO(93)100". Press releases after this date used the 1990 basis.
Copies of all the above publications are available in the Library of the House.
Separate information on EC data is not available.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) if he will publish a table showing the volume of imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the relative volume for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 and the latest three months on the basis of trade in 1990 ;
(2) whether he will publish a table showing for trade with the rest of the EEC unit values for imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the terms of trade for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 and the latest three months on the basis of trade in 1990 ;
(3) if he will publish a table showing unit values for imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the terms of trade for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 and the latest three months on the basis of trade in 1990 ;
(4) whether he will publish a table showing for trade with the rest of the EEC the volume of imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the relative volume for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 and the latest three months on the basis of trade in 1990 ;
(5) whether he will publish a table showing for trade with non-EC countries the unit values for imports and exports of
semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the terms of trade for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 and the latest three months on the basis of trade in 1990 ;
(6) if he will publish a table showing for trade with non-EC countries the volume of imports and exports of semi-manufactures, finished manufactures and all manufactures together with the relative volume for each year from 1987, for the first quarter of 1987, the third quarter of 1990, each quarter from the beginning of 1992 and the latest three months on the basis of trade in 1990.
Mr. Needham : The information is available from the Central Statistical Office central shared database, access to which is available in the Library of the House. Information
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for whole world trade is available from 1970 onwards. Information for EC and non-EC trade is available from 1988 onwards.Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with Taiwan in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(2) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures less diamonds with Belgium in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(3) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with China in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(4) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with Germany in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(5) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with France in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(6) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with Indonesia in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(7) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with Italy in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of these years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of those years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(8) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with Russia in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of those years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(9) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with the Netherlands in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of
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these years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of those years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;(10) what was the import to export ratio for trade in manufactures with Germany in 1993 to the latest available date and what was the corresponding surplus or deficit ; what were the figures for 1970, 1979 and 1985 and the corresponding level of the real exchange rate compared to 1993 ; and if he will list the principal surpluses and deficits in 1993 together with the reasons therefor :
(11) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with Brunei in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them ;
(12) what was the ratio of imports to exports for trade in manufactures with Singapore in (a) 1970, (b) 1979, (c) 1985 and (d) 1993 to the latest date for which figures are available ; what was the surplus or deficit in each of those three years ; what was the real exchange rate in each of these years ; what were the principal (i) surpluses and (ii) deficits in 1993 ; and what were the reasons for them.
Mr. Needham : Information on United Kingdom trade in manufactures, defined in sections 5 to 8 of the standard international trade classification, is published regularly by the Central Statistical Office in the "Overseas Trade Statistics" of the United Kingdom. Since the beginning of 1993, the publication appears in two parts : "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom with countries outside the European Community (Extra- EC Trade)", and "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom with countries within the European Community (Extra-EC Trade : Intrastat)". These publications are available from the Library of the House.
Belgium and Luxembourg are treated as a single economic unit ; separate figures for the two are not available. Information on United Kingdom imports of diamonds from Belgium-Luxembourg is commercially confidential.
For statistical purposes, the former German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany were combined, as Germany, since 1991.
Information on real exchange rates is not available.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the export figures of manufactures in the three months to November 1993 and the corresponding figures for the same period in 1990 for the United Kingdom and the other main manufacturing countries.
Mr. Needham : Information on United Kingdom exports of manufactures in the three months to November 1993 is available via the Central Statistical Office database, which can be accessed from the Library of the House. The corresponding information for the main manufacturing countries is not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost. The 1990 information is published by the CSO in "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics" February 1993, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the (a) United Kingdom, (b) German
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and (c) French share of 3Q1992 exports of manufactures by the main manufacturing countries in the third quarter of 1992.Mr. Needham : The information requested can be found in table E2 of the "Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics" February 1993, published by the CSO, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made as to the extent to which the standstill since 1990 on the price of semi-manufactures imported from non-EC countries has contributed to the change of 6 per cent. in the United Kingdom of intermediate goods over the same period.
Mr. Needham : The Department has not undertaken such a study.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the levels of United Kingdom exports of commercial vehicles weighing over 7.5 tonnes between 1988 and 1992 ; what was the level of exports from Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain and France in those years ; and which countries accounted for the change in the level of United Kingdom exports.
Mr. Needham : Information on the level of United Kingdom exports by country of commercial vehicles weighing over 7.5 tonnes can be readily derived from information in table 62 of "Motor Industry of Great Britain-- World Automotive Statistics", published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd., a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
The information for Germany, Italy, Sweden, Spain and France could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the volume of semi-manufactures imported from non-EEC countries in the three months to the end of January and how this is affected by the change since 1990 of the nominal exchange rate for sterling against the currencies of those countries ; what was the increase in the case of imported semi-manufactures (a) used in producing manufactures other than food, drink and tobacco and (b) which compete directly or indirectly with home-produced goods ; and what was the consequential increase in the import content of goods manufactured in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Needham : Information on the volume of semi-manufactures imported for non-EC countries in the three months to January 1994 was published by the Central Statistical Office in "First Release CSO(94)38, Balance of Trade with Countries Outside the EC--January 1994". The release is available in the Library of the House. An exchange rate for sterling against non-EC currencies is not readily available. Nominal exchange rates against the US dollar are published regularly by the International Monetary Fund in "International Financial Statistics". The publication is available in the Library of the House. It is not possible to isolate the effect of exchange rates on imports from other factors.
The increase in the volume of semi-manufactures used in producing manufactures other than food, drink and tobacco could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. All imports compete directly or indirectly with home -produced goods. The import content of goods manufactured in the United Kindom cannot be identified.
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Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the United Kingdom output of passenger cars in 1991 in comparison with that of Spain ; what was the balance of trade and the ratio of exports to imports in that year between Spain and the United Kingdom in (a) cars and (b) components ; and what assessment he has made as to the local content of cars produced in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Spain.
Mr. Needham : The available data are published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Ltd. in "Motor Industry of Great Britain 1992--World Automotive Statistics". Data for United Kingdom and Spanish output of passenger cars can be found in table 12. United Kingdom exports of passenger cars and parts and accessories to Spain are in table 60. The corresponding table for imports is table 89. This publication is available in the Library of the House. The Government have a long-standing practice of establishing understandings on local, European content with major inward investors in the vehicles sector, which are monitored regularly. The local content of cars produced in the United Kingdom by the major Japanese manufacturers is currently 70 per cent. or more. Information about the local content of cars produced in Spain is not available.
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