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 adequacy of the ability of UK producers to meet domestic demand for stainless steel tubes in the context of upcoming tariffs on steel imports.

The Government has considered the ability of UK producers to meet domestic demand for stainless steel products, including large rods and tubes, and that is being factored into the trade measure design.

The measure has been designed to strike a balance between securing the future of domestic steelmaking while maintaining secure supply chains. It will only cover steel requirements that can be met in the UK. Where not feasible for technical reasons, quotas have been designed with the aim of allowing for sufficient imports to be available to downstream users without unnecessary additional costs.

To ease impacts, we will introduce a transitional arrangement where the measure would not apply to goods agreed under contract before 14 March and imported between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Further details are available on GOV.UK.