§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in what ranges and types of ball bearings the effect of Japanese competition has been most severely felt by British industry according to information tendered to him.
§ Mr. Tomneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether, in view of the extent of Japanese competition in the ball and roller bearing industry, he can now state what protection he proposes to provide against unfair trade practices arising there from.
§ Mr. RidleyJapanese competition has been most severe in single row ball bearings up to 70 mm. bore. We are considering the information which the industry has provided in support of then-request that the Government should ask the Japanese Government to limit voluntarily the growth of bearings sales to this country.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what use the British ball bearing industry has made of patents and trade marks to protect itself against Japanese competition, according to information tendered to him.
§ Mr. Tomneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of the total production of the ball and roller bearing industry is covered by world patents.
§ Mr. RidleyManufacturers of ball and roller bearings make use of the provisions of the patents and trade marks Acts when they consider it to be in their interest to do so. I understand that the proportion of the industry's production covered by patents is very small.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration he has given to the pricing of Japanese ball bearings in Great Britain being in contravention of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade agreement on dumping; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe Department has explained to the British ball bearing industry that it is ready at any time to consider an application for anti-dumping action if the industry has prima facie evidence that the imports are dumped as defined in Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and are causing it, or threatening to cause it, material injury. The industry has not yet made such an application.
§ Mr. Tomneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the extent of Japanese imports into the United Kingdom in percentage of the value of British production.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantImports of ball and roller bearings from Japan during the fourth quarter of 1971 were equivalent to 3 per cent. by value of total sales by United Kingdom manufacturers.
§ Mr. Tomneyasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much capital replacement for plant and machinery there has been in the British ball and roller bearing industry in the last period for which information is available.
§ Mr. RidleyCapital expansion on acquisitions of plant and machinery by firms specialising in the production of ball and roller bearings amounted to £4.8 million in 1968 according to the provisional results of the Census of Production for that year.
Mr. Bob Brownasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state the value of imports of Japanese ball bearings into the United Kingdom in the last five years.
Mr. Anthony GrantsFigures of imports of ball, roller or needle-roller bearings from Japan for 1970 are published in Volume I of the Annual Statement of Trade for 1970 and for 1971 in the December, 1971, issue of the Overseas Trade Statistics; figures for earlier years are as follows:
£ million 1967 0.8 1968 1.2 1969 1.3
Mr. Bob Brownasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state the value of the production of 95W United Kingdom ball bearing manufactures for the last five years.
§ Mr. RidleySales by manufacturers of ball and roller bearings amounted to £69 million in 1968, and to £27 million in the fourth quarter of 1971. These are the only figures we have for the last five years.
Mr. Bob Brownasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will state the value of Japanese imports of ball bearings in the last five years as a percentage of the value of British production of ball bearings.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantFigures are available only for 1968 and the fourth quarter of 1971 when imports of ball and roller bearings from Japan were equivalent to 1½ per cent. and 3 per cent. respectively of the total value of sales by United Kingdom manufacturers.
Mr. Bob Brownasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will state the value of retained earnings of the British ball bearing industry in the last five years;
(2) if he will state the value of trading profit of the British ball bearing industry in the last five years.
§ Mr. RidleyI regret that the information is not available.