asked the Secretary of State for Trade what he estimates will be the level of trade between the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1979; and how this compares with the level of trade between France and Russia.

Details of United Kingdom and French exports to, and imports from, the Soviet Union at the latest available dates are shown in the tables below. I prefer not to venture estimates for 1979 as a whole.

I. TRADE BETWEEN UNITED KINGDOM AND THE SOVIET UNION IN THE PERIOD JANUARY-AUGUST 1979*
	£ million
Imports (cif)	473·4
Exports (fob)	260·9

II. TRADE BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE SOVIET UNION IN THE PERIOD JANUARY-JULY 1979†
	million	£ million
	US dollars	equivalent
French Imports (cif)	875·3	419·5
French Exports (fob)	1148·0	551·0
Source	(*) Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom.
	(†) OECD Series A—Statistics of Foreign Trade.

NOTE: the trade figures so far in 1979 have been distorted by disruptions in the flow of information on which they are based, resulting in understatement of both imports and exports. They must therefore be interpreted with caution.