19.
asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the effect of the Bill at present before the United States Congress, giving power to impose quotas, tariffs and other restrictions upon imports, upon the American markets of the United Kingdom.
If the United States Trade Bill were enacted in its present form, and if the restrictions on imports of textiles and footwear for which it provides were applied to the United Kingdom, United States imports from the United Kingdom in 1971 would be restricted to £23 million for non-cotton textiles and £7 million for footwear. This compares with imports in 1970 at an estimated annual rate of £28 million for non-cotton textiles and £8 million for footwear. The Bill also provides for the United States Government to impose new restrictions on other imports, but it is impossible to say at this stage which other products would be affected or how seriously.