Catalogue description Records of the General Division

The General Division of the Department of Trade was formed in March 1975 with a remit to brief the Secretary of State for Trade on general economic and financial policy matters. At a time of international recession and high domestic interest rates, the division formulated the Department of Trade's contribution to the government's counter-inflationary policy and its industrial strategy. It also supervised the department's interest in and reaction to the government's devolution policy.

The division was responsible for monitoring the policy proposals of other government departments in relation to their likely impact on the UK's export position and for co-ordinating the department's export assistance and import saving measures. In matters of export finance and export credit policy, it undertook work previously undertaken by the department's Overseas Finance and Planning Division.

The General Division's remit also included anti-dumping investigations, import licensing, consideration of UK and EEC tariff origin rules, tariff quotas and general policy questions emerging from the Common Customs tariffs. Following a departmental reorganisation in 1980, the functions of the division were subsequently administered by various branches of the department's Western European and the General Division and its Commercial Relations and Exports Division 1.