Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the (a) minutes and (b) list of attendees of the Chemicals EU Exit Trade Group on 15 February 2021; and what steps his Department is taking in response to the issues raised by stakeholders at that meeting.

Minutes from the Chemicals EU Exit (and Trade) Group (CEEG) are not routinely published.

The attendees at the last CEEG held on the 15^th February 2021 were:

Ministerial

• Kwasi Kwarteng MP, Secretary of State for BEIS
• Lord Callanan, Lords Parliamentary Under Secretary, BEIS [Co-Chair]
• Rebecca Pow MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Defra
• Mims Davies MP, Minister for Employment, DWP

Industry

• Calum MacLean – CEO & Group Director, Synthomer [Industry Co-Chair]
• Steve Elliott – CEO, Chemical Industries Association (CIA)
• Tom Bowtell – CEO, British Coatings Federation (BCF)
• Adrian Hanrahan – Managing Director, Robinson Brothers
• Jane Toogood – Sector Chief Executive, Johnson Matthey (JM)

Officials

• Neil Johnson, BEIS, Director, Infrastructure and Materials
• Chris Hobley, BEIS, Director, Trade and Investment Negotiations
• Jo Bray, BEIS, Deputy Director, Chemicals, Bioeconomy & Plastics
• Sally Randall, DEFRA, Director, Environmental Quality
• Gabrielle Edwards, DEFRA, Deputy Director, Chemicals, Pesticides and Hazardous Waste
• Dr Richard Daniels, HSE, Divisional Director Chemicals Regulation Division
• Harjinder Kang, DIT, Director, Healthcare, Life Sciences & Bioeconomy
• Supporting officials from BEIS, DEFRA, HSE and DIT

BEIS continues to work closely with industry to understand how it is adapting to the terms of the UK/EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement, and to understand its priorities for new trade deals. Government is also engaging closely with all interested parties on the issues which industry has raised about the impacts of the new regulatory requirements associated with the implementation of UK REACH. In doing so we will take account of the benefits and risks of making any changes to the arrangements that are in place now, including the impact it would have in our commitment to maintaining high standards of protection for public health and the environment. We will also consider the impact on our international obligations.