§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is Great Britain's current level of consumption of, respectively, iron, lead, tungsten, copper, potassium, sulphur, phosphorus, aluminium, chromium, manganese, nickel, tin and zinc ; what percentage of this consumption is, respectively, imported and indigenous; and what, from information available, are the comparable figures for USA, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium. Japan and South Africa.
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§ Mr. Anthony GrantThe information for six non-ferrous metals is shown in the table below.
United Kingdom consumption of pig iron in 1972 was 15.6 million metric tons, less than 2 per cent. of which was imported.
United Kingdom consumption of sulphur in all forms in 1972 was 1,203.5
CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION OF SELECTED COMMODITIES, 1972 Refined Lead Refined Copper Consumption (thousand metrictons) Indigenous production as percentage of consumption Consumption (thousand metrictons) Indigenous production as percentage of consumption United Kingdom … … 278 97 525 34 USA … … 983 77 2,027 101 France … … 202 93 390 8 Germany, Federal Republic … … 274 100 672 59 Italy … … 186 37 283 3 Netherlands … … 41 59 37 — Belgium … … 48 193 153 205 Japan … … 231 97 954 85 South Africa (including South West Africa) … … 26 253 47 167
Primary Aluminium Nickel Consumption (thousand metrictons) Indigenous production as percentage of consumption Consumption (thousand metrictons) Indigenous production as percentage of consumption United Kingdom … … 410 42 30 106 USA … … 4,296 87 145 11 France … … 398 99 38 35 Germany, Federal Republic … … 724 61 43 — Italy … … 304 49 21 — Netherlands … … 79 205 1 — Belgium … … 201 — 3 — Japan … … 1,193 85 83 95 South Africa (including South West Africa) … … 60 88 N.A. N.A.
Refined Tin Slab Zinc Consumption (thousand metrictons) Indigenous production as percentage of consumption Consumption (thousand metrictons) Indigenous production as percentage of consumption United Kingdom … … 18 147 277 27 USA … … 57 12 1,286 50 France … … 11 — 264 100 Germany, Federal Republic … … 16 15 413 87 Italy … … 8 — 203 77 Netherlands … … 5 — 37 130 Belgium … … 4 91 139 183 Japan … … 33 5 660 122 South Africa (including South West Africa) … … 2 67 55 86 * Including refined nickel, the nickel content of ferro-nickel oxide and nickel fonte. †United Kingdom consumption of refined nickel only. Source: World Metal Statistics.