§ Dr. John Cunninghamasked the Secretary of State for Industry what action he is taking to protect capacity and jobs in the British Steel Corporation and to protect the major public investment in the capital reconstruction of the corporation in the light of the action by United States steel companies against British exports of steel to the United States of America and the breakdown of the EEC agreement on steel quotas; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinUnited States steel producers have filed wide-ranging anti-dumping and countervailing cases against the main steel producing countries of the European Community, including the United Kingdom, and against Spain, Romania, Brazil and South Africa. It is too soon to assess the full implications for British producers.
Both the Commission and the Government have repeatedly stressed to the US Administration the damage which anti-dumping and countervailing suits could do. I attended an informal meeting of Community Ministers for Industry in Brussels on 13 January at which the Commission was invited to coordinate action with the member States and the representatives of the steel industry. It was agreed that the Community should ensure the proper application of the relevant international conventions and should assert the Community steel producers' rights by all appropriate means.
The Ministers agreed on the need to maintain the arrangements approved by the Council last June to limit Community steel production and improve prices, which were working well.