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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Brexit uncertainty on the levels of stockpiling by factories.

The Government is aware that factories are stockpiling essential parts to try and minimise disruption in a no deal scenario, and we continue to discuss the situation with businesses and other organisations.

In a previous response I gave the noble Lord to Question HL14120, we outlined a number of steps that we have taken to ensure that both people, and businesses are prepared for EU Exit. Since then, some of these steps – that manage issues such as stockpiling – have evolved, as follows:

• HMRC have now written three times to the 145,000 VAT-registered UK businesses who currently trade only with the EU, setting out the actions they need to take, and the changes they need to be prepared for in the event of no deal
• We have advised hundreds of ports, traders, pharmaceutical firms and other organisations that use the border about potential disruption, so that they can engage proactively with their supply chains
• We have published a leaflet for SMEs, that contains advice on actions to take, provides sources of support, and outlines the changes that may affect businesses when the UK leaves the EU

The public information campaign pages on Gov.UK provide all up to date material on the considerations of EU exit for businesses, and the practical steps that they will need to take in preparation.