§ Sir Anthony Grantasked the Minister for Trade if he will set out in the Official Report the number of applications from United Kingdom companies or organisations for anti-dumping duties to be imposed since 1970, the products to which they applied and the number of such duties imposed as a result.
§ Mr. Peter ReesThis information cannot be obtained in the form requested by my hon. Friend without disproportionate cost. However, in the period 1970-mid 1977, when the United Kingdom continued to exercise its anti-dumping powers on a national basis, 89 cases were opened. Further details may be found in the annual reports laid before Parliament under the terms of the Customs Duties (Dumping and Subsidies) Act 1969. Since 1 July 1977 the Commission has exercised anti-dumping powers on behalf of all members of the European Community and the European Coal and Steel Community, including the United Kingdom. Details of each case have been published450W in the Official Journal of the European communities, copies of which may be found in the Library of the House of Commons.
Approximately 100 investigations have been opened for products subject to the Treaty of Rome since that time. Cases which have been investigated and closed have resulted in about 70 definitive duties or acceptable price undertakings. Thirty-one cases—including reviews of old cases—are still under investigation. Twenty-seven definitive and eight provisional duties were in force at the beginning of 1983.
Under the Treaty of Paris about 10 investigations into steel products or product groups were opened in the period 1978–79 but these have, for the most part, been superceded by the negotiation of a system of voluntary restraint arrangements between the Community and its major third country suppliers. Some further duties have, however, been imposed to remedy injury by minor suppliers or as sanctions against breach of commitments.
A wide range of industrial sectors have shown interest in anti-dumping procedures under the Treaty of Rome and the Treaty of Paris. In particular, the steel, chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, timber, paper and board, domestic electrical appliances and engineering sectors have all successfully made use of them.