§ 33. Mr. Edwin Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will give the number of tons of waste paper that has been exported for the years 1969. 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973, and if he will take immediate action to reduce the exporting of waste paper in view of the needs of the United Kingdom paper industry.
§ Mr. DeakinsThe figures, which are published in the Overseas Trade Statistics, are 94,000, 100,000, 77,000, 74,000 and 102,000 metric tonnes respectively, including a small amount of mechanical wood pulp in 1969. The second part of the Question is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry.
§ Mr. WainwrightI thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Can he tell the 871 House why the Government allow the export of waste paper, which is so very important to the country? Cannot we have a restriction of such exports, similar to the restriction imposed on the nationalised industries, which have been prevented from exporting at times when they could have made a profit out of doing so? Are we to continue to allow exporters to sell materials abroad which are short in this country simply because they will get higher prices by doing so?
§ Mr. DeakinsI am aware of the concern on this matter but the primary responsibility is for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry. If export controls were decided upon, I would be responsible for their administration through my Department's export licensing branch.
§ Mr. RostWill the hon. Gentleman take steps to increase the collection of waste paper, which would save a great deal of money? A great deal of paper is at present wasted.
§ Mr. DeakinsThis matter is coming very much to the fore and I assure the hon. Gentleman that I have as great an interest as anyone in the House in saving imports, which is one of the factors in improving the collection arrangements for waste paper. However, there is a limit to what can be done, partly because of the cost burden on the local rates and partly because waste paper often has to undergo expensive processing before it can be properly recycled.
§ Mrs. Renée ShortDoes not my hon. Friend think it nonsense from the point of view of the national economy that we should be exporting waste paper, not collecting our own and at the same time importing precious timber, for which his Department is certainly responsible, in order to make more waste paper available?
§ Mr. DeakinsI confess that I do not always understand the economics of either the paper industry or, indeed, any other industry, but I assure my hon. Friend that we share her concern, as I am sure the whole House does, that we should do what we can to improve the balance of payments position by saving imports where possible as well as by expanding exports. That is the task of my. 872 Department and the Government as a whole.