§ Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he is planning to encourage the other EEC member States to ensure their steel industries exercise more self-discipline in pricing in order to avoid the serious effects a price war will have on the Davignon plan.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldThe Government have urged on the Commission the need to take action against breaches of its pricing measures. The Commission has recently announced steps to improve enforcement and we shall be watching their effect closely.
§ Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he is taking steps to co-ordinate the output of the British Steel Corporation during the third quarter of 1978 with the outline recommendations of the Davignon plan; and, if so, if he will give his estimate of the British Steel Corporation's output figure in tonnes for that period.
§ Mr. Les HuckfieldThe corporation is taking part in the production coordination arrangements which are established on a country-by-country basis. My Department is keeping in close touch with this. The indicated output figure for the United Kingdom for the third quarter of 1978 is 4.95 million tonnes of crude steel which is in line with the expected level of sales. The distribution of this figure between British producers, including BSC, is a matter for the organisations 363W concerned in consultation with the EEC Commission.