Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to UK steel safeguarding measures and import quotas on small and medium‑sized enterprises that rely on a stable supply of imported steel; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that businesses such as Central Rebar in Alloa are not adversely affected by disruption to their supply chains.

The UK steel industry faces challenging global conditions due to overcapacity and trade deflection, which threatens the long‑term viability of domestic production. That is why last year the government amended the steel safeguard to ensure the overall effectiveness of the measure.

The safeguard is due to expire in June 2025, and we are developing a new, robust trade measure to support resilient and secure supply chains. Officials are working closely with stakeholders across the sector, including trade associations representing SMEs, and we are assessing a full range of supply chain interests in designing the measure.