§ Mr. John H. Osbornasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will tabulate in the Official Report, from information available to him, the tonnage and value of steel produced by the British Steel Corporation and the private sector of the steel industry, respectively, and in total, broken down into the categories recognised by his Department including bulk steel, construction and engineering steels, stainless steel, heat resisting steels, tool and die steels, and high speed steel for each of the past 10 years.
§ Mr. Michael Marshall[pursuant to his reply, 28 January 1980, c. 438–39]: The value of steel produced is not available. The rest of the information is as follows:
237W238W 239W
'000 tonnes Year British Steel Corporation Private Sector Total Other light rolled sections and hot rolled bars. 1970 … … 1,073.8 530.5 1,604.3 1971 … … 791.5 531.3 1,322.8 1972 … … 718.3 594.9 1,313.2 1973 … … 933.4 654.4 1,587.8 1974 … … 835.4 681.7 1,517.1 1975 … … 711.5 641.9 1,353.4 1976 … … 696.0 649.5 1,345.5 1977 … … 707.7 484.4 1,192.1 1978 … … .. .. 1,217.1 1979 (October) .. .. 1,044.9 Bright steel bars … … … 1970 … … 52.0 518.5 570.5 1971 … … 38.7 404.9 443.6 1972 … … 43.8 403.2 447.0 1973 … … 41.0 611.1 652.1 1974 … … — 618.0 618.0 1975 … … 2.1 441.0 443.1 1976 … … 1.6 468.9 470.5 1977 … … 1.8 476.0 477.8 1978 … … .. .. 448.8 1979 (October) .. .. 348.3 Hot rolled strip … … … 1970 … … 369.6 238.6 608.2 1971 … … 298.8 193.3 492.1 1972 … … 263.0 218.7 481.7 1973 … … 307.0 253.6 560.6 1974 … … 256.3 203.7 460.0 1975 … … 181.5 163.3 344.8 1976 … … 232.8 196.0 428.8 1977 … … 229.3 165.2 394.5 1978 … … .. .. 350.8 1979 (October) .. .. 292.4 Other heavy rolled products (angles, tees and sections over 102 mm (4 in) and channels over 76 mm (3 in) web; joists and beams 76 mm (3 in) web and over; rounds, squares and hexagons 76 mm (3 in) and over and flats over 127 mm (5 in) wide). 1970 … … 1,951.5 326.5 2,278.0 1971 … … 1,708.9 289.41 1,998.3 1972 … … 1,696.8 314.5 2,011.3 1973 … … 1,933.6 302.0 2,235.6 1974 … … 1,848.0 248.3 2,096.3 1975 … … 1,467.8 243.9 1,711.7 1976 … … 1,479.1 213.2 1,692.3 1977 … … 1,479.7 234.2 1,713.9 1978 … … .. .. 1,676.3 1979 (October) .. .. 1,496.4 Wire rods and other rods and bars in coil (including reinforcing bar in coil). 1970 … … 1,282.5 1,355.0 2,637.5 1971 … … 1,195.0 1,084.8 2,279.8 1972 … … 1,227.3 1,072.0 2,299.3 1973 … … 1,298.3 1,316.52 2,614.8 1974 … … 1,076.3 1,228.2 2,304.5 1975 … … 966.0 1,088.7 2,054.7 1976 … … 1,030.0 1,322.7 2,352.7 1977 … … 1,168.0 1,242.6 2,410.6 1978 … … .. .. 2,526.0 1979 (October) .. .. 2,085.5 Arches, light rails and accessories 1970 … … 242.2 38.6 280.8 1971 … … 262.6 37.0 299.6 1972 … … 191.5 36.4 227.9 1973 … … 253.2 28.4 281.6 1974 … … 211.2 23.8 235.0 1975 … … 242.8 23.3 266.1 1976 … … 201.3 19.5 220.8 1977 … … 210.5 21.2 231.7 1978 … … .. .. 251.4 1979 (October) .. .. 193.5 Cold rolled strip … … … 1970 … … 161.3 386.9 548.2 1971 … … 110.8 365.3 476.1 1972 … … 100.7 382.9 483.6 1973 … … 123.2 444.7 567.9 1974 … … 133.0 404.5 537.5 1975 … … 82.0 268.3 350.3 1976 … … 99.8 343.4 443.2 1977 … … 90.0 342.6 432.6 1978 … … .. .. 422.0 1979 (October) .. .. 331.1 240W 241W
'000 tonnes Year British Steel Corporation Private Sector Total Sheets, coated and uncoated (including coil). 1970 … … 4,041.9 BSC production 4,041.9 1971 … … 4,186.0 4,186.0 1972 … … 4,323.4 4,323.4 1973 … … 4,074.2 4,074.2 1974 … … 3,064.3 3,064.3 1975 … … 2,058.5 2,058.5 1976 … … 2,688.5 2,688.5 1977 … … 2,614.1 2,614.1 1978 … … 2,644.9 2,644.9 1979 (October) 2,236.0 2,236.0 Tinplate (and blackplate for sale as such). 1970 … … 1,298.4 BSC production 1,298.4 1971 … … 1,258.3 1,258.3 1972 … … 1,204.4 1,204.4 1973 … … 1,329.7 1,329.7 1974 … … 1,194.8 1,194.8 1975 … … 992.2 992.2 1976 … … 1,127.4 1,127.4 1977 … … 1,166.0 1,166.0 1978 … … 1,109.8 1,109.8 1979 (October) 937.4 937.4 Tubes and pipes (all sizes) … 1970 … … 1,394.1 413.3 1,807.4 1971 … … 1,165.2 341.4 1,506.6 1972 … … 1,089.9 353.8 1,443.7 1973 … … 1,120.0 430.6 1,550.6 1974 … … 914.9 447.8 1,362.7 1975 … … 918.2 373.3 1,291.5 1976 … … 866.3 342.8 1,209.1 1977 … … 786.9 345.8 1,132.7 1978 … … .. .. 1,193.0 1979 (October) .. .. 993.3 Tyres, wheels, axles and rolled rings. 1970 … … 56.4 6.8 63.2 1971 … … 60.0 8.7 68.7 1972 … … 50.2 7.5 57.7 1973 … … 50.2 6.8 57.0 1974 … … 54.2 7.1 61.3 1975 … … 67.3 7.9 75.2 1976 … … 56.9 3.9 60.8 1977 … … 43.2 3.7 46.9 1978 … … .. .. 46.1 1979 (October) .. .. 38.7 Forgings (excluding drop forgings) 1970 … … 9.4 56.5 65.9 1971 … … 8.9 54.1 63.0 1972 … … 6.4 44.7 51.1 1973 … … 8.1 37.8 45.9 1974 … … 12.2 40.5 52.7 1975 … … 14.8 39.0 53.8 1976 … … 17.9 38.6 56.5 1977 … … 11.0 32.2 43.2 1978 … … .. .. 36.5 1979 (October) .. .. 21.5 Castings … … … … 1970 … … 19.3 176.8 196.1 1971 … … 13.9 155.7 169.6 1972 … … 11.7 129.8 141.5 1973 … … 9.7 151.4 161.1 1974 … … 10.9 166.9 177.8 1975 … … 9.4 173.5 182.9 1976 … … 9.5 153.9 163.4 1977 … … 6.5 150.0 156.5 1978 … … .. .. 147.6 1979 (October) .. .. 111.8 ALLOY Stainless and heat-resisting … 1970 … … Not available 140.7 1971 … … 121.5 1972 … … 108.6 1973 … … 161.6 1974 … … 154.8 1975 … … 117.1 1976 … … 131.9 1977 … … 135.5 1978 … … 152.2
'000 tonnes Year British Steel Corporation Private Sector Total Other alloy (including stainless and heat resistant tubes and pipes). 1970 … … Not available 1,216.8 1971 … … 1,057.4 1972 … … 1,057.0 1973 … … 1,210.5 1974 … … 1,207.1 1975 … … 1,129.7 1976 … … 1,150.2 1977 … … 1,159.0 1978 … … 1,180.0 TOTAL ALLOY … … … 1970 … … 609.4 748.1 1,357.5 1971 … … 511.5 667.4 1,178.9 1972 … … 543.7 621.9 1,165.6 1973 … … 615.0 757.1 1,372.1 1974 … … 495.9 866.0 1,361.9 1975 … … 510.3 736.5 1,246.8 1976 … … 514.1 768.0 1,282.1 1977 … … 548.4 746.1 1,294.5 1978 … … .. .. 1,332.2 .. Not available Sources: BSC Annual statistics; ISSB Annual Statistics.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Industry what discussions he has had with the EEC Commission in Brussels about the pace and extent of the rundown of the British Steel Corporation; whether the Commission agrees with the current plans of the British Steel Corporation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Michael Marshall[pursuant to his reply, 31 January 1980, c. 755]: Officials in the Department of Industry maintain regular contact with Commission officials, and keep them informed of BSC's closure plans in relation to, inter alia, potential requests for contributions to readaptation assistance. The system of applying for ISERB's aid involves warning Commission officials of the likely needs—as for example in the letter which went to the Commission on 12 December in respect of 20,000 additional redundancies in South Wales, Scunthorpe and Consett. This is followed by a detailed application once the United Kingdom steel employer has submitted is to the Department. The actual closure plans are, of course, the responsibility of the corporation, exercising its commercial judgment, in consultation with the trade unions.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will state the gains or losses for each year since 1970 of the main steel plants in (a) West Germany, (b) France, (c) Italy, (d) Belgium, (e) Luxembourg, (f) the United Kingdom and (g) the United States of America, giving both total gains or losses and gains or losses before charging interest, tax or
242Wextraordinary items; and what information he has about state aids to each of these plants.
§ Mr. Michael Marshall[pursuant to his reply, 31 January 1980]: This information is not available.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Industry whether the Government propose, in view of their directive to British Steel regarding profits, to impose a countervailing duty on all steel sold hereby firms which are not operating profitably, whether or not imported from the EEC.
§ Mr. EyreI have been asked to reply.
The imposition of any duties in the case of imports from outside the European Community would rest primarily with the European Commission, which is prepared to take action where the appropriate criteria of the GATT countervailing code are met. Countervailing duties cannot be imposed on steel produced within the Community, but member States are already seeking to rationalise their industries and eliminate loss-making.