§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will list the important metals and minerals obtainable from South Africa and indicate whether alternative supplies are available from other free world countries in sufficient quantities to meet United Kingdom requirements should deliveries from South Africa become disrupted.
§ Mr. CryerSignificant quantities of chromium, gold, manganese and platinum are imported from South Africa. The United Kingdom also imports significant quantities of some chromite ores from the Philippines and manganese ores from Brazil and Ghana, and of chromium, manganese and platinum as metals, or alloys of those metals, from 33W the USA and some Western European countries. The extent to which other sources could replace supplies currently obtained from South Africa would depend on such factors as the timescale of any disruption and the extent of spare capacity in the mining and processing industries of alternative suppliers at the time.