Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support the aluminium industry in the context of (a) US tariffs and (b) global competition.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Thanks to the strength of the UK-US partnership, the UK remains the only country to benefit from a preferential 25% tariff on steel and aluminium exports to the US, avoiding the global rate of 50%. The UK is therefore uniquely positioned as the only country to have secured this commitment, giving our companies a 25% competitive advantage over global competitors.

After US global tariffs were introduced in May, the Business Secretary instructed the Trade Remedies Authority to work with the aluminium industry to gather and assess evidence for possible trade protection measures.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the carbon border adjustment mechanism supports the international competitiveness of businesses.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The CBAM is an environmental policy designed to support decarbonisation and mitigate the risk of carbon leakage. It will be introduced on 1 January 2027.

Carbon leakage can undermine efforts to reduce global emissions and curtail private investment in decarbonisation – compromising efforts to reach net zero and limit global warming to 1.5°C.

The CBAM will ensure highly traded, carbon intensive products from overseas face a comparable carbon price to those produced here so that UK decarbonisation efforts lead to a true reduction in global emissions rather than simply displacing carbon emissions overseas. It will give industry confidence to invest in the UK knowing their decarbonisation efforts will not be undermined.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department considered including policies on the aluminium sector within the Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

I refer the Member of Parliament for Warrington to the answer I provided to UIN 72881 on 17^th September, which was in response to a similar question she previously tabled: “To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason the aluminium sector was not included in the Industrial Strategy.”

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help support the aluminium industry through its negotiations on free trade agreements.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

We have taken decisive action to support the UK aluminium industry through recent trade agreements that reduce barriers and enhance market access by removing tariffs.

Additionally, thanks to the strength of the UK-US partnership, the UK remains the only country to benefit from a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium exports to the US, avoiding the global rate of 50%. The UK is the only country to have secured this commitment, giving our companies a competitive advantage.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure that the carbon border adjustment mechanism will support a reduction in carbon leakage in all the sectors in scope of the legislation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) will be introduced on 1 January 2027 to address the risk of carbon leakage.

Carbon leakage occurs when production and associated emissions shift from one country to another due to different levels of decarbonisation effort, for example, as a result of carbon pricing and climate regulation.

The CBAM will place a carbon price on specific industrial goods imported to the UK from the aluminium, cement, fertiliser, hydrogen and iron & steel sectors that are at risk of carbon leakage, to ensure they face a comparable carbon price to those produced in the UK.

This will support UK decarbonisation efforts to lead to a true reduction in global emissions rather than simply displacing carbon emissions overseas, and give industry confidence to invest in the UK knowing their decarbonisation efforts will not be undermined.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve and (b) simplify the SEND tribunal process for parents.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to ensure they are supported throughout their education and into adult life.

The SEND tribunal will remain an important legal backstop for families. The department is working with parents and families, our expert partners and committed workforce to ensure any changes to the SEND system ensure easier and quicker access to support for children. Ensuring effective routes to resolving disputes is an important part of delivering a system which works for children and families and we will work collectively to secure this.

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Tiverton and Minehead) Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat; Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall

Found: (Liberal Democrat; Tiverton and Minehead) Sarah Green (Liberal Democrat; Chesham and Amersham) Sarah Hall