asked the Secretary of State of Trade what quantities of waste paper have been imported in the last two years from (a) the USA, (b) Belgium, (c) Luxembourg, (d) the Netherlands, and (e) the USSR; and whether he has any proposals to reduce the quantity in future.

Following is the information requested in the first part of the Question:

		Metric tons
	1973	1974
(a) USA	0	40,760
(b) Belgium	2,786	26,143
(c) Luxembourg	0	26,143
(d) Netherlands	8,574	13,586
(e) USSR	2,213	11,629

The answer to the second part is "No". This increase in imports was due largely to temprorary factors which no longer operate. The level of imports,

UNITED KINGDOM NET DIRECT INVESTMENT* IN THE EEC†
						£million
				1971	1972	1973
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	…	…	…	0·2	0·7	1·3
Mining and quarrying	…	…	…	—	-0·1	0·4
Mechanical engineering and. Instrument engineering	…	…	…	9·2‡	23·8	17·8
Electrical engineering	…	…	…	9·2‡	6·7	16·3
Shipbuilding and vehicles (excluding motors)	…	…	…	14·1‡	-0·5	0·3
Motor vehicle manufacture	…	…	…	14·1‡	8·3	12·6
Food, drink and tobacco	…	…	…	148·1‡	33·9	103·6
Chemical and allied industries	…	…	…	148·1‡	16·4	82·8
Metal manufacture	…	…	…	148·1‡	0·3	-4·8
Textiles, leather, clothing and footwear	…	…	…	148·1‡	3·8	7·0
Paper, printing and publishing	…	…	…	148·1‡	3·1	9·0
Rubber	…	…	…	148·1‡	-0·2	-2·5
Other manufacture	…	…	…	148·1‡	12·4	29·9
Construction	…	…	…	0·3	4·4	2·6
Transport and communications other than shipping	…	…	…	1·9	7·3	6·6
Shipping	…	…	…	1·6	0·1	0·7
Distributive trades	…	…	…	39·8	75·1	82·1
Other financial institutions	…	…	…	-2·9	0·4	5·2
Property owning and managing	…	…	…	50·2‡	-7·8	-7·3
Other activities	…	…	…	50·2‡	34·9	155·3
Total	…	…	…	262·5§	223·3§	519·3§
* Excluding oil.
† The original six member States in 1971 and 1972; the other eight member States in 1973.
‡ Figures for industries bracketed together were not compiled separately for 1971.
§ Component's do not necessarily add to totals because each figure has been rounded independently
—Nil or less than £50,000.