§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish reports of the unofficial negotiations on the Multilateral Agreement on Investment which have taken place since the Ministerial meetings in April; and if he will make a statement. [54249]
UK balance of trade in iron and steel, ceramics and coal 1993–97 Year Iron and steel Ceramics Coal Value (£ million) 1993 678 222 -624 1994 756 241 -539 1995 721 320 -549 1996 515 350 -629 1997 231 224 -641 Volume (metric tons) 1993 3,016 -100,500 -15,666 1994 2,321 -67,788 -14,244 1995 1,573 -13,322 -15,558 1996 2,544 -8,463 -17,001 1997 2,496 -152,390 -19,169 Notes:
Because of the diverse nature of the products included in the figures for ceramics (i.e. high value/low volume porcelain and low value/high volume items such as ceramic tiles and other construction products) the trade balance in volume terms can be erratic HM Customs and Excise Business Monitors MA20, MM20 A and MQ20 Eurostat Intra and Extra EU Trade