HC Deb 26 January 1977 vol 924 c665W
Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will restrict the 1977 annual duty-free quota for newsprint to 750,000 tonnes; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Meacher

The United Kingdom's prescribed share of the EEC newsprint duty-free quota for 1977 is 700,000 tonnes. Representatives of the newsprint users and producers have been informed that, to provide necessary flexibility, the Government would be prepared, if the quota should prove inadequate, to take steps to increase the quota but only if they were satisfied that home producers' capacity was being reasonably fully taken up.