§ Mr. Sharpasked the Minister of Supply if he will give details of the estimated increase from £5,250,000 to £18,200,000 during the present financial year of the cost of the trading services in respect of iron and steel.
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§ Mr. G. R. StraussThe details asked for are as follow:
— Original Estimate Revised Estimate £ £ Imported pig iron and steel. 2,750,000 11,000,000 Imported scrap 2,000,000 7,000,000 Ministry of Supply Agency Factories making steel. 500,000 200,000 £5,250,000 £18,200,000 The original estimate for imported pig iron, steel and scrap made provision only for the first quarter of the financial year on the basis, subsequently abandoned, that these charges would thereafter cease.
§ Mr. Sharpasked the Ministry of Supply why the estimated assistance to the iron and steel industry to meet the cost of abnormal freight of iron ore has increased from £2,000,000 to £7,000,000; and on what tonnages of ore are these estimates based.
§ Mr. G. R. StraussThe original estimate provided only for the first three months of the financial year and covered abnormal freight charges on 2,250,000 tons of ore. The revised estimate provides for the whole of the financial year and for a total tonnage of just over 9,000,000 tons.