Catalogue description Board of Trade: Import Licensing Branch: Files

Import licensing was introduced during the war of 1914-1918, in order to conserve foreign exchange and shipping. It was resurrected on a much larger scale, for the same reasons, in the course of the war of 1939-1945. At first its use was restricted to the husbanding of foreign exchange under the Import, Export and Customs Powers (Defence) Act 1939, but by the end of 1939 this had proved to be insufficient. Although the Ministry of Food and the Ministry of Supply were by then purchasing in bulk more than two-thirds by value of all imports, a wider control was felt to be necessary in order to make the best use of shipping space. A general control of imports was imposed in June 1940, immediately after Dunkirk. Except for a few categories of goods, this prohibited the import of goods by private importers except under licence from the Board of Trade. The Import Licensing Department was created within the Industries and Manufacturers Department of the Board of Trade to administer these controls.

In 1945 the exchange problem again came to the fore and the severity with which import licensing was administered after that date fluctuated with Britain's economic fortunes. After 1956 controls were gradually abolished.

In January 1946 the Import Licensing Department became the Import Licensing Branch (of the Industries and Manufacturers Department), but it continued to be known to the public by its former title until 1950.

On 1 January 1960 Import Licensing Branch was transferred to Tariff Division, which was renamed Tariff and Import Policy Division. By December 1963 the division had reverted to it's old name Tariff Division. When the Tariff Division was abolished in March 1975, Import Licensing Branch became part of the new General Division.