§ 44. Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the prospects for British Steel.
§ Mr. ButcherThe United Kingdom steel industry, once heavily subsidised and inefficient, is now among the most efficient in Europe. Since 1979 productivity has improved by 94 per cent., a remarkable transformation. Prospects for the future, for both the British Steel Corporation and private sector steel companies, depend on their ability to compete and on the market for their products, but I believe that sustained viability and profitability is a realistic ambition.