Dr. Bennettasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he will consider removing on a temporary basis the present import duty imposed on reinforcing steel, in view of the serious shortage of that commodity in this country.
§ Mrs. Gwyneth DunwoodyI understand that some firms have experienced difficulties in obtaining supplies, and we are always prepared to consider suspending a duty on application for a domestic industry when it is supported by evidence that duty-free supplies from the United Kingdom and Commonwealth preference area fall substantially short of United Kingdom demand, and that the duty represents a serious burden on users which could be removed without detriment to other interests. I have, however, no evidence that this is the case at present.