§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what conclusions have been reached in discussions between EC Ministers about the future of the EC steel industry; what recommendations he will be making to the Council of Ministers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SainsburyEC Ministers have agreed a package of measures based on a voluntary programme of capacity reductions. The main elements are: additional ECSC financial support for the social costs of closures; internal market measures, including strict application of state aid rules, speedy consideration, within EC competition rules, of inter-company co-operation agreements, and non-mandatory guidance on production and deliveries within the Community; and external measures, including limited restrictions on certain steel imports from central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Since United Kingdom industry has already undergone substantial restructuring and rationalisation, I would expect future capacity reductions predominantly in other EC countries, particularly Spain, Italy and Germany.
§ Mr. MorganTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has had from the British Constructional Steelwork Association concerning the alleged subsidisation of Italian constructional steelwork imported into the United Kingdom for the second Severn bridge and other projects.
§ Mr. Kenneth CarlisleI have been asked to reply.
I wrote to the British Constructional Steelwork Association on 26 November. A copy of my letter has been sent to the hon. Member.