§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
What have been the quantity and value of softwood and softwood timber products imported into the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years, and what are the estimates in each of the next 20 years. [HL1674]
§ The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Simon of Highbury)It is possible to differentiate most, but not all, imported timbers between softwood and other timber. For those categories which can be distinguished, available figures for UK imports of softwood are:
Year Thousand metric tonnes £million 1989 4,984 1,092 1990 4,651 1,096 1991 3,570 794 1992 3,667 774 1993 3,504 836 1994 4,135 1,080 1995 3,138 911 1996 3,551 933 1997 3,959 1,005 1998 3,784 904 The figures cover Standard International Trade Classification (Rev 3) 247.30, 247.40, 248.20 and 248.30.
Source:
HM Customs and Excise Business Monitors MA20 and MQ20.
82WAEstimates of imports for each of the next twenty years are not available. However, estimates of UK demand (of which imports are a component) published by the Forestry Commission, but on a different basis, are available as follows:
Coniferous sawnwood demand. Year Thousand cubic metres product volume 2000 9,030 2010 9,130 2020 9,210 Source:
Revised Forecasts of the Supply and Demand for Wood in the UK by Adrian Whiteman (published by Forestry Commission 1996).