Question: Has the domestic steel industry been helped by the voluntary restraint agreements on steel imports?

The voluntary restraint agreements have been a principal element in the modest recovery of the steel industry.

Countries that have not signed restraint agreements account for an additional 4.5 percent of the domestic market, based on 1989 import figures.

Mexico is one of 29 countries that have reached new restraint agreements with the United States.

"Is there any assistance to the industry, through a voluntary restraint agreement or otherwise, that does not become tantamount to a form of industrial policy?"

The most recent voluntary restraint agreement, reached about a year and a half ago, limits tungsten imports from China.

Almost one-third of the voluntary restraint agreements deal with textiles and clothing.

Labor unions are often the biggest fans of quotas and voluntary restraint agreements.

The voluntary restraint agreements, as the quotas are known, have become a major issue in the industry.

The voluntary restraint agreements, as the quotas are called, limited imported steel to about 20 percent of domestic consumption.