Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

What recent assessment the Government has made of the preparedness of (a) manufacturers and (b) importers for UK REACH requirements to complete Downstream User Import Notifications by October 2021.

The Downstream User Import Notification (DUIN) provision is intended to ensure continuity of supply chains and provide time for businesses to comply with their new obligations as an importer under UK REACH. The measure will apply only to existing GB downstream users or distributors under EU REACH who were, at any time in the two-year period before 1 January 2021, already a downstream user or distributor under EU REACH established in GB in relation to a substance (and who did not have an EU REACH registration).

We are also ensuring continuity through the transitional provisions enabling GB based manufacturers to carry over their existing EU held registrations ‘Grandfathered’ into UK REACH. This will give them automatic access to the GB market. Businesses benefitting from this will have 120 days from 1 January 2021 to provide some basic information about the registered chemical.

In September, we announced an extension to the deadline for the submission of DUINs from 180 to 300 days from 1 January 2021. As a result, GB downstream users will have the opportunity to assess how existing EU REACH registrants, that have been Grandfathered into the UK REACH system, have met the 120-day deadline and use it to inform their own process. This decision was taken following engagement with stakeholders to identify practical ideas on how we could help the industry make the transition from EU REACH to UK REACH.

We have published detailed guidance for chemical businesses so they know what actions they need to take. We have also been carrying out an extensive programme of business readiness activity, exploiting all of our networks across Government, trade associations and business representative organisations, to engage the hardest to reach areas of the sector on their new obligations and the steps they need to take to prepare. This includes direct correspondence sent to over 80,000 stakeholders within the chemicals industry and Defra policy officials speaking at over 450 stakeholder events over the last 18 months.