35. Mr. Vaneasked the Secretary for Overseas Trade, as representing the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the estimated annual consumption of chipboard in this country and the annual output of the chipboard industry when working to full capacity; and what proportion of the raw material used is made up from homegrown material, both small sizes of sound timber and offcuts from home-grown logs.
§ Mr. MackesonThe present annual consumption of chipboard in the United Kingdom is estimated by the trade at between 11½ and 14 million square feet, while the annual maximum production capacity is estimated at between 20 and 25 million square feet.
Chipboard is made almost exclusively from industrial wood waste from saw mills and joinery factories, derived mainly from imported soft woods. The amount of waste from home-grown timber cannot be estimated reliably but the proportion is probably under 5 per cent. of the total used.