Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of trends in cement imports over the last ten years.

The Department for Business and Trade routinely considers import volumes of cement. We also maintain close contact with the Mineral Products Association, the sector’s main trade association, and individual businesses to consider issues facing the sector.

To mitigate the risk of carbon leakage and support UK domestic production, the cement sector will be included in the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and some cement firms benefit from the British Industry Supercharger, receiving relief from electricity policy and network costs.

If UK cement firms believe they are being injured by unfair trading practices like the dumping of cheap imports, they can bring forward an application to the UK’s independent Trade Remedies Authority (TRA).