§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister for Trade what was the total amount of EEC exports of steel to the United States of America in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available; what part of this total represented British exports; and what were the comparable totals, respectively, in each of the previous four years.
§ Mr. Peter ReesSuch information as is readily available relates to European Coal and Steel Community products and is as follows:
Steel*Exports to the United States of America '000 tonnes From EC (excluding UK) From UK From EC (including UK) 1978 5,300 421 5,721 1979 4,318 311 4,629 1980† 2,738 166 2.904 1981‡ 3,942 n.a n.a 1982 Jan-May 1,169 120 1.289 Sources:
EUROSTAT; UN Statistics of World Trade;
Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau.
Notes:
*The information relates to European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) products. This definition is narrower than the UN definition used in the reply to my hon. Friend's similar question answered on 30 July 1982. [Vol. 28, c. 788.] The United Nations publish only annual data.
†Figures for 1980 were affected by the dispute in the UK steel industry.
‡The availability of detailed monthly UK export figures for 1981 has been affected by the Civil Service dispute. Figures which are available for the six months January, February, September to December give UK exports of ECSC products to the USA as 183 thousand tonnes.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Minister for Trade (1) what amount or percentage of EEC exports of steel to the United States of America is being allocated to the United Kingdom under the EEC plan agreed on 21 October; and if he will make a statement.
(2) whether the share of steel and steel products allocated to the United Kingdom under the EEC proposals 464W for exports to the United States of America will be greater, less or the same as the share which the United Kingdom enjoyed in recent years.
§ Mr. Peter ReesThe final details of the allocation between member States are still being worked out, and full figures will not be available for a day or two. But the United Kingdom share by volume of the product categories covered by the anangement will be between 9 per cent. and 10 per cent. of the Community total; it will therefore be very slightly higher than our share of actual Community exports of those products to the United States last year.