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Written question asked by Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative) on Friday, 9 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 13 January 2026. It was answered by Chris McDonald (Labour) on Friday, 16 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Business and Trade.

Iron and Steel: Safeguard Measures

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of import penetration in the UK bright steel bar market since the removal of safeguarding measures in 2021.

Answer

In 2021, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) conducted a transition review of the steel safeguard measure which is applied via tariff-rate quotas. The TRA recommended maintaining protections on steel categories only where justified; bright steel bar (category 27) was among the product categories where evidence did not support continuation of the safeguard. The Secretary of State at the time accepted the TRA’s recommendation.

The UK’s trade remedies system is industry led. Where UK industry believe they are being injured, or there is the threat of injury, from unfair foreign trade practices, I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA. I am not aware of any current applications to the TRA from category 27 producers.

The Department continues to closely monitor market trends and engage with the steel industry to identify and address any significant developments affecting producers and supply chains. The sector is facing a challenging and uncertain global landscape due to significant steel overcapacity. We are therefore developing robust new measures in light of the steel safeguard expiring at the end of June 2026.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
104492
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Iron and steel Import penetration Safeguard measures
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk