HC Deb 19 October 1981 vol 10 cc41-2W
Mr. Chris Patten

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what was the average output per man in the major steel plants of the British Steel Corporation in each year since nationalisation; and what are the comparable figures for major steel plants in the United States of America, Japan, West Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Mr. Wakeham:

The information requested on output per man in individual major steel plants, whether in BSC or overseas, is not available. Some broad indicators of productivity in the steel industry are available on a country by country basis, though they have to be interpreted with caution.

I shall write to my hon. Friend to let him know what information is available.

Mr. Chris Patten

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how much financial assistance has been provided to the British Steel Corporation since its incorporation; and how much assistance is expected to be provided in the current financial year.

Mr. Wakeham:

Since July 1967 BSC received £5,387 million of Government finance in the period to 31 March 1981, in the form of advances of capital, loans from the National Loans Fund—NLF—and regional development grants—RDG. £150 million of NLF loans were written off in 1972, and a further £3,509 million of capital and loans in the Iron and Steel Act 1981. In the current financial year payments to BSC are expected to be £830 million—including an estimated £21 million in RDG's—of which £79 million is required for the repayment of foreign loans falling due during the year.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

asked the Secretary of State for Industry what consideration he gives to the overmanning in the corporation in his decisions on the level of Government aid to the British Steel Corporation.

Mr. Wakeham:

An essential element in the current BSC plan is the need to improve productivity by improving working practices and eliminating overmanning. This was taken fully into account in deciding on the level of Government finance for BSC in 1981–82. Since this Government came into office, numbers employed in BSC have fallen from 186,000 at end March 1979 to about 110,000 now.