§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will take into account in negotiating Spanish membership of the EEC the need to reduce the subsidies available to Spanish manufacturers of soft tissue.
§ Mr. MeacherIf Spanish entry into the EEC is successfully negotiated, Spain will be bound by the provisions of the Treaty of Rome regarding State aids and subsidies in the same way as other member States.
§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Trade what discussions he has had with the industry, and what action is proposed to safeguard British manufacturers of soft tissue to protect the British industry in Lancashire and elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MeacherMy department is advising the United Kingdom soft tissue industry on the presentation to the EEC Commission of an anti-dumping application against soft tissue rolls from Spain. The Commission is not yet satisfied that the level of import penetration justifies a full investigation.
§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for Trade what was the total imports of soft tissue paper from Spain for each quarter since 1st January 1977 to date as a proportion of the United Kingdom market.
§ Mr. MeacherSeparate information about soft toilet tissue imports is available only from January 1978. Imports of all toilet paper from Spain in 1977 as a proportion of the United Kingdom market were as follows:
Per cent. 1977 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter — 0.1 0.3 1.1 Information about import penetration in the first quarter of 1978 is not yet available.
Note:—represents nil or less than half the final digit shown.