Mr. Ted GarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what is the total volume of manhole covers imported from India in 1989; and what is that amount as a percentage of the United Kingdom foundries' production for the same period;
(2) what was the tonnage of manhole covers imported from India in December 1989; and what information he has on the percentage that were defective.
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§ Mr. RedwoodManhole covers are not separately identified within the United Kingdom customs tariff but fall within a general category "cast articles of non-malleable cast-iron for sewage, water, etc, systems" which also covers a number of other items such as cast iron pipes. A breakdown of the detailed products within the category would involve disproportionate costs.
Imports from India for the category as a whole were 6,149 metric tonnes in 1989.
United Kingdom production data for manhole covers are also not separately available from official statistics, but the industry has estimated that current production amounts to about 80,000 tonnes per annum. No information is available on the proportion of manhole covers that were defective.