asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimates have been made of the British steel production required for the years 1962, 1965 and 1970 in order to fulfil the British contribution towards the 50 per cent. growth between 1960 and 1970 in real gross national product approved recently by the Organisation for European Co-operation and Development.

The 50 per cent. growth is a collective target for all the member-countries taken together. The Iron and Steel Board's 1961 Special Report on Development in the Iron and Steel Industry estimated probable steel demand at 29 million tons in 1965 and 32 million tons in 1970. To allow for possible variations in demand the appropriate production capacities were assessed at 32 million tons in 1965 and 35 to 36 million tons in 1970. compared with about 29 million tons in 1962.