Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many metric tonnes of aluminium were exported from the UK for recycling in each of the last five years; to which countries was that aluminium exported; in what quantities was it exported; and how much income to the Exchequer was generated from the sale of that aluminium in each of the last five years.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK.

HMRC releases this information monthly, as an Accredited National Statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria. You can build tables, using the commodity codes published in the UK Trade Tariff at https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff. Aluminium is classified in Chapter 76 of the tariff.

The website will give information on value, amounts and the countries where the aluminium was sent. HMRC do not record the reason for export. Any applicable duties for the relevant commodity codes can also be found in the tariff.

If you need help or support in constructing a table from the data on uktradeinfo, please contact uktradeinfo@hmrc.gov.uk.