Ussr

Mr. Ronald Bell
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.

Mr. Parkinson
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.---------------
|             |
---------------
|Imports (cif)|
---------------
|Exports (fob)|
---------------
----------------------
|                    |
----------------------
|                    |
----------------------
|French Imports (cif)|
----------------------
|French Exports (fob)|
----------------------
|Source              |
----------------------
|                    |
----------------------
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.