AQW 30221/17-22

Mrs Pam Cameron
Democratic Unionist Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 24/02/2022
Answered On Date: 01/03/2022
Priority Written: Yes

Question:
To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail the import duty differences between Great Britain and Northern Ireland following the application of anti-dumping measures by the European Union on certain products from China.

Answer:

On 18 February 2022, the European Union (EU) implemented a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of certain fasteners of iron or steel e.g., wood screws, self-tapping screws, bolts and washers; of Chinese origin. The duty rate is 86.5%, with reduced tariffs (between 22.1% and 48.8%) for imports sourced from a limited number of Chinese companies.

For as long as the Protocol remains in operation, rest of world origin goods that are subject to any EU trade remedies must be declared as at-risk on entry to Northern Ireland (NI) and associated tariffs applied. NI importers of certain Chinese origin fasteners will therefore be subject to pay the anti-dumping duty.

Due to the UKs exit from the EU, the UK Government was not required to implement the anti-dumping duty. Businesses based in Great Britain (GB) will therefore not be subject to the anti-dumping duty.

This divergence has led to an uneven playing field within the UK Internal Market, causing a disadvantage for NI businesses compared to GB competitors.