Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many metric tonnes of processed aluminium were imported into the UK in each of last recorded five years; from which countries and in what quantities that processed aluminium was imported; and what information her Department holds on (a) how much was spent on purchasing and (b) which companies and government departments were the primary purchasers of processed 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. Aluminium is classified in Chapter 76 of the tariff.

The website will give information on value, amounts and the countries involved. However, it will not identify imports by individual importers, whether by companies or government department. This would be in conflict with Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA). CRCA restricts the information that HMRC may disclose publicly on persons making imports and exports. HMRC do publish a database of UK traders. This provides registered business names and addresses and when they have traded in specific goods with EU and non-EU countries. You can use this to look for traders who have imported aluminium, where they have permitted HMRC to publish their details.

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