54
ent's con- when the and other been
con-
m Share)
asked the hat was the rld trade in
mation sug h's share of 1978 was
ring) Secretary of ments exist onitor price
rrangements charges for ble.
(Soviet
Secretary of being taken dised freight fleets within
s monitoring is significant urged the barallel with co-ordinate these prove
d the Secre- will make a between the g Kong and the People's
London and of scheduled Civil Aviation
to my right ong Kong Air rity; of non- Civil Aviation Kong Director
55
Written Answers
19 NOVEMBER 1979
Written Answers
Between Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China, rights to run ser- vices are the joint concern of Her Majesty's Government and the Govern- ment of the People's Republic of China; although in our case the right to autho- rise non-scheduled services is exercised by the Hong Kong Director of Civil Aviation.
European Community (Greek Accession)
34. Mr. Robert Atkins asked the Secre. tary of State for Trade what assessment is being made of the consequences for British shipping interests of entry by Greece into the European Economic Community.
Mr. Tebbit: We do not foresee any adverse consequences for British shipping. We welcome the entry into the Com- munity of another major maritime country sharing our commitment to the free circulation of shipping.
Air Transport Services
35. Mr. Garel-Jones asked the Secre- tary of State for Trade how he intends to promote the development of cheaper air transport services.
Mr. Tebbit: The Civil Aviation Authority, which is responsible for licensing air transport operators, already has a duty, under section 3 of the Civil Aviation Act 1971, to see that services are provided at the lowest charges consistent with a high standard of safety and an economic return to an efficient airline. I shall do what I can to persuade foreign Governments to agree to lower fares on international services where such fares can be justified on economic grounds.
Departmental Staff
37. Mr. Straw asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) what reductions he now proposes to make in respect of his Department's supervision of business. names and of insurance companies; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what staff reductions are contem- plated in his Department in the field of company affairs.
Mr. Eyre: I am reviewing a number of functions to assess the scope for cutting Civil Service manpower and will announce the outcome as soon as possible.
14 N 21
Tourist Information Centres
56
38. Mr. Donald Thompson asked the Secretary of State for Trade whether he will arrange for greater publicity to be given to the existence and creation of tourist information centres.
Mr. Tebbit: Responsibility rests with the English Tourist Board for deciding how to make best use of the funds Parlia- ment has made available for the pro- motion and development of tourism in England. The Board already does a good deal to inform people about tourist in- formation centres and the services they provide.
British Airways
39. Mr. Dorrell asked the Secretary of State for Trade what progress is being made with plans to extend the ownership of British Airways to the public.
Mr. Nott: The Civil Aviation Bill, which provides the framework for the introduction of a private sector share- holding in British Airways, was published on 1 November.
Imports
41. Mr. Meacher asked the Secretary of State for Trade what has been the increase of imports, deflated by the appropriate price index and exports, respectively, over the last 10 years.
Mr. Nott: Between 1968 and 1978, the volume of United Kingdom imports rose by 46 per cent. and the volume of exports by 75 per cent.
Mr. Austin Mitchell asked the Secre- tary of State for Trade when he expects the United Kingdom to become a net importer of manufactured goods, given the continuation of present trends; and if he will give the trends for the years since 1970.
**
"
Mr. Parkinson: Figures of our visible trade balance in manufactures are avail- able from table 2.2 of the 1979 edition of United Kingdom Balance of Payments (the Pink "
book), a copy of which is in the Library of the House. I prefer not to make predictions, particularly about events which, in an uncertain world, may never happen.