§ Mr. Barry Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the antidumping measures his Department has taken regarding steel imports since 1975; and if he will list for the same period the tonnage and estimated value of steel imported into the United Kingdom up to the present time.
§ Mr. ParkinsonDuring the period 1975 to 30 June 1977, the following antidumping measures were taken by my Department (all in 1977):
Commodity and country of origin and Action taken
Steel reinforcing bars from Spain—Price undertaking accepted
Stainless steel bars from Spain—Definitive duty imposed
Stainless steel billets from Spain—Price undertaking accepted
Steel reinforcing bars from South Africa—Price undertaking accepted
Non-alloy steel light sections from South Africa—Price undertaking accepted
Non-alloy steel light sections from Japan—Definitive duty imposed
Non-alloy flat bars from Japan—No action taken after full investigation
High speed and tool steel bars from Austria—Price undertaking accepted
Non-alloy steel light sections and flats from Spain—Price undertaking accepted
Tool steel bars from Sweden—No action taken after full investigation.
At the end of the transitional period for the United Kingdom's membership of the European Communities on 30 June 1977, power to take countervailing or anti-dumping action passed to the European Commission. Information on the measures taken by the Commission 531W since that date is given in the Department's evidence to the Select Committee on Industry and Trade, published with the minutes of evidence for 5 March 1980. (Since then, the investigation into stainless steel bar from Brazil (No. 37 of Annex I) has been closed, on 23 May 1980, by the acceptance of a price undertaking from the Brazilian producers.)
The tonnage and value of steel (ingots, semi-finished and finished steel) imported into the United Kingdom during the period 1975 to May 1980 were: —
Million tonnes £ million (cif) 1975 3.74 677 1976 4.10 785 1977 3.72 808 1978 3.68 883 1979 3.79 999 January—May 1980 2.24 608 (January—May 1979 1.42 366) Source: United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics (SITC (RI & 2) Groups 672–4, Subgroups 678.2 to .5 and 679.3, plus relevant parts of SITC (R2) Items 676.01 and .02, 679.42 and 791.99 and corresponding headings under SITC (R1)).