§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the anti-dumping and countervailing action cases filed against British companies by United States steel companies; what progress has been made in each case; and what representations have been made by the DTI to the European Community and to the Government of the USA.
§ Mr. NeedhamOn 19 January 1993, the US Department of Commerce—DOC—imposed final duties on certain United Kingdom lead and bismuth carbon steel products as follows:
Company Countervailing Duty Per cent. Anti-Dumping Duty Per cent. United Engineering Steels 12.69 25.82 Allied Steel and Wire 20.33 25.82 Glynwed 00.00 25.82 Folowing this decision, the US International Trade Commission—ITC—upheld the United States steel 709W However, in a separate anti-dumping case concerning steel rails exported by British Steel plc, the ITC rejected the United States industry's allegations of injury.
The US DOC have also imposed provisional countervailing and anti-dumping duties of 19.13 per cent. and 109.22 per cent. respectively on plate products produced by British Steel plc. Final determinations are expected on 21 June.
The Government are particularly concerned about countervailing duties imposed on the grounds that British Steel and others are still benefiting from subsidies paid prior to privatisation. We totally reject this allegation and have argued our case strenuously and in detail with the United States authorities. The European Commission has also taken up our case in its actions against the United States under the GATT subsidies and anti-dumping codes.
My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has raised the privatisation issue on several occasions in writing with Ron Brown, the US Secretary of Commerce, and his predecessor. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Industry also raised the subject with Mr. Brown in Paris on 2 June.