To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what has been the price per tonne of recycled newsprint in (a) January and (b) June for each year since 1987; and what steps he proposes to facilitate a stable market for recycled paper collected within the United Kingdom. [5454]

The Government does not collect these statistics. However, the Paper Federation of Great Britain has collected information on the average prices, paid by British mills, for old newspapers for recycling into newsprint and other paper grades since 1989. These are as follows:

£ per tonne
Year	January	June
1989	39.93	38.89
1990	34.41	29.44
1991	28.77	28.16
1992	28.25	26.38
1993	24.50	22.98
1994	20.93	21.44
1995	46.72	116.76
1996	55.05	47.40
1997	28.53	1—
1 Not yet available.

Average prices for newsprint made from recycled fibres are not available, and are based on private contracts. The Government will consider whether any measures are required to improve the market for recycled paper.