Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to protect businesses in the engineering, manufacturing and construction sectors in Northern Ireland from any price increases for products imported from China when EU anti-dumping duties come into force in February in accordance with the terms of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland.

The Government recognises that global economic conditions continue to be challenging for the steel industry, including overcapacity, unfair subsidies and dumping.

Goods subject to EU anti-dumping measures being moved into Northern Ireland are considered to be 'at risk' and therefore attract the EU customs duty rate. Traders can claim a customs duty waiver for imported goods that would otherwise be charged at-risk tariffs, which means that they would not have to pay the duty owed. There are limits on how much a business can claim within a three tax year period, and businesses should check guidance available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-waiver-for-duty-on-goods-that-you-bring-to-northern-ireland-from-great-britain to see if this option is appropriate for them.

Issues like this one underscore why the Government has been clear that changes are required to the Protocol so that goods remaining within the UK's customs territory are not subject to tariffs or unnecessary processes and paperwork.