HC Deb 10 December 1986 vol 107 c181W
42. Mr. Hardy

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to ensure that European competition with the public and private sectors of the British steel industry is fair.

Mr. Giles Shaw

An essential condition for fair competition is strict control over subsidies. The Government therefore supported the agreement in the Council of Ministers in October 1985 to stop nearly all state aids to the Community steel industry from January 1986. I was pleased that the Council which I chaired on 20 October this year confirmed unanimously its agreement to the strict new code on subsidies now in force, and urged the Commission to enforce it strictly.