§ Mr. Moateasked the Secretary of State for Trade what is the timetable for renegotiating the quotas for duty free imports of paper products from Scandinavia; and if it will be his policy to give priority to United Kingdom producers.
§ Mr. ParkinsonConsultations on the 1980 levels of United Kingdom duty free quotas for imports of paper and board products established under the EEC free trade agreements with each of the EFTA countries will take place later this year.
Assistance offered Number of ships Gross tonnage Number of man years of work in the shipyards £ million '000 Year ended: 31 March 1977 … … 5.0 1 128 3,750 31 March 1978 … … 50.8 55 400 21,250 31 March 1979 … … 15.0 8 49 2,991 Total … … 70.8 64 577 27,991 All these orders were placed in yards located in the assisted areas. In addition to the work for the shipyards these ships provided substantial orders for a wider range of firms supplying materials, components and subcontractors. It is not possible to assess the effect on the balance of payments without disproportionate cost.