§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will identify the number of mini-steelworks for which authorisations have been granted in the United Kingdom together with their ownership, location and projected capacities.
§ Mr. EmerySince the repeal of Section 15 of the Iron and Steel Act 1967 with effect from 1st January 1973, Government authorisation has not been required for steelmaking projects by private sector steel companies, but outside the development areas industrial development certificates are necessary for new projects above the current exemption limits. From published information the following companies have announced their intention to proceed with mini-steelworks projects :
§ Mr. Tom BoardmanEstimates by the United Nations in 1967 put United Kingdom total reserves in the 1,500 million—2,000 million tons range ; recoverable reserves are probably much lower. As I said on 4th December in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, South (Mr. Clark Hutchison), I 403W am arranging for a re-examination of the prospects for a resumption of the Scottish shale oil industry ; this will cover commercial viability and price.