Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Finance what communication he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the post-Brexit introduction of a 25 per cent duty on steel imports from GB to Northern Ireland. [Priority Written]
Minister of Finance: I have not engaged with the Chancellor on this issue. The Economy Minister leads on this issue and she has advised me that HMRC have been directly in touch with companies who purchase steel from Britain and that there is a solution in that regard. There remains an issue regarding imports of steel from outside Britain or EU. While the Government have committed to resolving this issue, there has not yet been any clarity on how they will do so. The Economy Minister has indicated that if 25% tariffs did apply on imports of steel from outside Britain or the EU, this would significantly damage our competitiveness. Therefore it is vital that this issue is resolved urgently.
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