§ Mr. Tom Kingasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether he is satisfied with the availability of steel scrap in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldThe procurement of adequate supplies of ferrous scrap is a commercial matter for the consuming industries. Current shortages of high-202W grade scrap are being offset in the traditional way by imports and there are some indications that the market is now steadying. For their part the Government do not permit exports of high-grade scrap to non-Community countries and have reduced the quota for April-June exports of low-grade scrap to these countries by 25 per cent. I shall continue to watch developments closely.