§ Mr. CrowtherTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the impact of state-subsidised imports of waste paper from North America on the United Kingdom waste paper market; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthIt is not possible separately to identify the volumes of waste paper imports derived from mandatory collection schemes in North America, whether subsidised or not. However, the following information is available: during 1989, the United Kingdom imported 80,357 tonnes of waste paper; 23,069 tonnes of which came from the United States of America and Canada. In the same year, the United Kingdom exported 479,385 tonnes.
In the period up until the end of March this year, the United Kingdom imported 19,665 tonnes of waste paper (including 8,676 tonnes from the United States of America and Canada) and exported around 114,000 tonnes.