asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will raise with the European Economic Community Trade Council the matter of the 12 per cent. to 16 per cent. European Economic Community import duty on marine engine equipment and materials, compared with only 3 per cent. duty on imported complete boats, which is preventing the sale of British-built boats against foreign constructed boats; and if he will make a statement.
[pursuant to his reply, 17 March 1980, c. 91]: I am aware of concern in the boat building industry that certain imported marine engines attract a higher rate of customs duty than complete boats. The present rate of duty on sports boats is 2·9 per cent. while the duty on engines of the type used in sports boats is 11·4 per cent. This disparity will be gradually reduced as a result of the GATT multilateral trade negotiations, in which the European Community agreed to reduce the duties to 2·5 per cent. and 6·9 per cent. respectively. Meanwhile, firms needing to import engines for incorporation in boats for export to countries outside the European Community benefit from duty relief; and it would also be open to the industry to apply for a temporary suspension of duty, provided that it could be clearly established that engines available from Com-
| Date | Commodity | Source | Result |
| 18 December 1975 | Men's leather footwear | Brazil | Provisional countervailing duty imposed April 1976: made definitive in July 1976. |
| 13 April 1976 | Men's leather sandals | (a) Czechoslovakia | (a) No dumping found. |
| (b) Poland | (b) Price undertaking accepted March 1977. | ||
| 21 July 1976 | Men's leather sandals | Czechoslovakia | Price undertaking accepted March 1977. |