§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has as to the percentage reduction in the numbers employed in the steel industries of the various Common Market countries since the Council of Ministers agreed on a plan to reduce and restructure the industry; and if he will make a statement outlining the extent to which the various nations have fulfilled their agreed obligations in this area of policy.
§ Mr. Butcher[pursuant to the reply, 25 March 1985]: The most recent information on the reduction in the numbers employed in the production of steel products covered by the treaty of Paris in Community member states since 1980 when the steel aids code was agreed is shown in the following table:
TABLE 1 Number of employees ('000) 1980 average January 1985 Percentage reduction West Germany 201 151.7 24.5 France 114 84.5 25.9 Italy 101 75.7 25.0 Netherlands 21 18.8 10.5 Belgium 47 36.9 21.5 Luxembourg 16 12.3 23.1 United Kingdom 133 61.7 53.6 Source: Eurostat.
140WIn June 1983, the European Commission issued a series of decisions addressed to member states specifying the minimum capacity reductions required between 1980 and the end of 1985. These requirements and the Commission's figures for capacity reductions actually carried out up to 20 March 1985 are shown in the following table:
Table 2 '000 tonnes of hot-rolled steel capacity Reductions Capacity 1980 Minimum required Implemented at 20 March 1985 West Germany 53,117 6,010* 6,370† Belgium 16,028 3,155 3,183‡ Denmark 941 66 66 France 26,869 5,311 4,143 Italy 36,294 5,834 5,724≑ Luxembourg 5,215 960 1,045‡ Netherlands 7,297 950 82 United Kingdom 22,840 4,500 4,654 Source: Commission of the European Communities. * Excluding Kloeckner. † Including Kloeckner. ‡ 250,000 tonnes of reductions have been transferred from Luxembourg to Belgium. ≑ According to the Commission, the 2 million tonnes accounted for by the Italian private sector has been shut down and will be scrapped under Commission supervision.