Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what modelling he undertook of the likelihood of tariff-rate quotas being exhausted before the end of the applicable quota periods prior to implementation of the steel trade measure.

We have designed the measure to strike the right balance for UK industry, strengthening protection for domestic producers while allowing a necessary volume of imports into the UK.

We have set quota levels to reflect the specific needs of the UK steel sector, calibrated against the UK’s production capability, capacity and demand levels and reflecting market conditions.

We will continue to monitor the measure, including the quota utilisation rates, and review it after 12 months.