Department for Business and Trade written question – answered at on 1 December 2025.
John Lamont
Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) international trade practices and (b) foreign subsidies on the competitiveness of UK natural stone SMEs.
Lloyd Hatton
Labour, South Dorset
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of low-cost imported stone on the competitiveness of UK natural stone producers; and what steps he is taking to help support the natural stone industry.
Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) is the UK’s investigatory body that exists to defend the UK against unfair international trade practices, including foreign subsidies.
I encourage UK industry to engage directly with the TRA if they believe they are being injured by unfair trading practices as it will be for the TRA to decide whether evidentiary thresholds to initiate a trade remedies investigation are met.
The Department remains vigilant to any reports of potential injury to industries from unfair trading practices and regularly engages with the natural stone sector.
Yes0 people think so
No1 person thinks not
Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
