HC Deb 20 February 1978 vol 944 cc444-6W
Mr. Hardy

asked the Secretary of State for Trade if he will list the main sources of imports of the following metals, with the approximate proportion of domestic requirement met by each source: tungsten, chromium, nickel, cobalt, titanium, vanadium, uranium, zirconium and molybdenum.

Mr. Meacher,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 13th February 1978; Vol. 944, c. 58], gave the following information:

I would advise my hon. Friend that there are no commercially significant deposits of these metals or their ores in the United Kingdom and so, apart from recycling, imports represent the source of all domestic consumption. Following is the available information for main sources of imports in 1977:

Metal, unwrought or wrought (and articles thereof) Ores and concentrates Ferro-alloys Oxides, hydroxides, salts ashes and residues, etc.
Country of consignment Approximate percentage of quantity of total imports Country of consignment Approximate percentage of total imports Country of consignment Approximate percentage of quantity of total Imports Country of consignment Approximate percentage of quantity of total imports
TUNGSTEN … Germany (F.R) … 33 Portugal … … 20 * — Netherlands … … 38
South Korea … … 16 Netherlands … … 14 Germany (F.R.) … 28
U.S.A. … … … 12 Germany (F.R.) … 11 U.S.A. … … … 18
Austria … … 7 U.S.A. … … … 10 U.S.A. … … … 18
CHROMIUM … Japan … … … 41 South Africa … … 63 South Africa … … 41 Germany (F.R) … 70
U.S.A. … … … 23 Philippines … … 26 Sweden … … 31 U.S.S.R. … … 23
Sweden … … 22 Finland … … 4 Norway … … 8 Canada … … 2
NICKEL … … Canada … … 81 None … … … — Canada … … 33 Canada … … 57
Australia … … 5 Greece … … … 31 South Africa … … 34
Germany (F.R.) … 2 France … … … 31 Netherlands … … 5
COBALT … … Belgium-Luxembourg 42 † — None … … … — Canada … … 96
Zambia … … 24 U.S.A. … … … 2
Finland … … 10 Belgium-Luxembourg 1
U.S.A. … … … 3 France … … … 1
TITANIUM … U.S.A. … … … 50 Australia … … 73 U.S.S.R. … … 72 Italy … … … 32
France … … … 6 Norway … … 23 Italy … … … 9 Germany (F.R.) … 28
Germany (F.R.) … 6 Taiwan … … 2 U.S.A. … … … 6 Czechoslovakia … 13
Japan … … … 5 Netherlands … … 1 Netherlands … … 5 Spain … … … 11
VANADIUM … Germany (F.R.) … 54 † — Austria … … 67 Germany (F.R.) … 44
Belgium-Luxembourg 28 Norway … … 15 Finland … … 35
U.S.A. … … … 18 Sweden … … 8 India … … … 13
URANIUM … * — * — None … … … — France‡ … … 67
ZIRCONIUM … U.S.A. … … … 64 Australia … … 89 None … … … — † —
France … … … 23 U.S.A. … … … 10
Belgium-Luxembourg 12
MOLYBDENUM … Austria … … 69 Netherlands … … 34 Sweden … … 55 Netherlands … … 52
U.S.A. … … … 18 Chile … … … 27 Austria … … 31 Germany (F.R.) … 21
Germany (F.R.) … 5 Canada … … 25 Belgium-Luxembourg 13 Belgium-Luxembourg 20
France … … … 5 U.S.A. … … … 8 China … … … 6
* Details by individual country are not available for publication.
† Imports of the metal in this form are not separately distinguished in the Overseas Trade Statistics.
‡ Partial coverage only (compounds of uranium depleted in U-235 are not separately distinguished).

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