HC Deb 27 March 1980 vol 981 cc633-4W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

asked the Secretary of State for Trade, further to his reply dated 11 March concerning imports of yarns of continuous polyester fibre, whether he will circulate in the Official Report a statement showing the proportion of polyester filament yarn—excluding high tenacity yarn—imported from the European Economic Community and the United States of America, respectively; whether he considers that imports from the European Economic Community are causing material injury to the domestic industry; what difference, if any, there is in the two situations; what steps he has taken to secure that imports from the United States are not replaced by imports from European Economic Community sources; and whether he is now in a position to object to the imposition of discriminatory restrictions on imports from the United Kingdom in cases where the United Kingdom supplier is not the dominant supplier and British goods are not the lowest priced.

Mr. Parkinson

The statistical information requested is as follows:

Percentage imports of polyester yarn filament (excluding high tenacity yarn) 651.44–651.46.
European Community
1976 68
1977 68
1978 61
1979 57
United States
1976 8
1977 6
1978 11
1979 25

There were no special factors affecting the price of imports from the Community, nor has there been a sudden surge of imports from them as in the case of imports from the United States. It is in any event, not possible to restrict imports from member States by quantitative limitations or to apply anti-dumping or countervailing duties within the Community. I am not aware of any discriminatory restrictions on United Kingdom exports.