HC Deb 23 November 1979 vol 974 cc375-7W
Mr. Leighton

asked the Secretary of State for Trade (1) whether he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing (a) the volume and value of iron and steeel products imported from and exported to the EEC Six and from and to other countries in each year from 1970 and this year to date, (b) the trade balance and (c) the general level of tariff on imports of iron and steel from the Six;

and Japan, the EEC, Comecon countries, Norway and Sweden, respectively.

Mr. Eyre

The information is as follows:

(2) if he will circulate in the Official Report a table showing the value and volume of iron and steel products traded between the United Kingdom and, respectively, the Six original EEC member States and the non-Six in each of the years 1970 to 1978 and the current year to date.

Mr. Eyre

[pursuant to his reply, 15 November 1979, c. 769]: Details of United Kingdom trade in iron and steel with the EEC Six and the rest of the world are given in the tables below. There is no single representative level of customs duties on iron and steel and their products. The duties in 1970 ranged from free to 25 per cent. according to the form in which the products were imported. This range applied throughout the period 1 January 1970 to 31

I. UNITED KINGDOM TRADE IN IRON AND STEEL BY VALUE EEC(6)
million
Exports (f.o.b.) Imports (c.i.f.) Crude balance (exports valued f.o.b. minus imports c.i.f.)
1970 43.6 58.3 - 14.7
1971 42.4 69.2 - 26.9
1972 43.2 91.7 - 48.5
1973 67.0 170.0 - 103.0
1974 96.7 421.8 - 325.1
1975 121.9 462.4 - 340.5
1976 172.6 542.3 - 369.7
1977 213.2 553.1 - 399.9
1978 248.1 592.9 - 344.8
January-September 1979 225.8 510.3 - 284.6
January-October 1979 254.6 580.6 - 325.9

REST OF WORLD
million)
Exports (f.o.b.) Imports (c.i.f.) Crude balance (exports valued f.o.b. minus imports c.i.f.)
1970 304.6 164.1 + 140.6
1971 360.4 137.2 + 223.2
1972 333.2 160.4 + 172.8
1973 366.2 203.3 + 162.9
1974 455.8 294.5 + 161.3
1975 560.0 361.5 + 198.5
1976 650.8 423.4 + 227.4
1977 803.3 431.5 + 371.8
1978 857.6 463.2 + 394.4
January-September 1979 713.9 378.1 + 335.8
January-October 1979 790.7 428.5 + 362.2

II. UNITED KINGDOM TRADE IN IRON AND STEEL BY VOLUME
(Thousand tonnes)
EEC(6) Rest of World
Exports Imports Exports Imports
1970 547 649 3,796 2,064
1971 511 818 4,595 1,673
1972 500 1,154 4,244 2,039
1973 678 1,501 3,705 1,782
1974 634 2,770 2,901 1,600
1975 592 2,607 2,766 1,595
1976 804 2,738 3,065 2,016
1977 908 2,415 3,720 1,858
1978 1,011 2,300 3,574 1,925
January-September 1979 825 1,790 2,713 1,454
Source: United Kingdom Overseas Trade Statistics: SITC(Rev 1/Rev 2) division 67.
Note: Owing to changes in the classification of the trade statistics, the figures for 1978 and 1979 are not absolutely equivalent to those for earlier years but the differences are negligible.