Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Steel Industry

Thursday 14 September 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Steel is vital to the UK and the industry needs to decarbonise for a sustainable future.
  • The UK Government has put together a steel procurement policy note and provided support with high energy costs.
  • The Government has provided over 730 million in support for energy costs and more than 1 billion for decarbonisation.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Holly Mumby-Croft
Climate Energy Business & Trade
Context

The MP is inquiring about specific actions to support the steel industry, particularly focusing on companies like British Steel.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to support the steel industry. I am concerned about the constant conversations regarding UK produced steel and the £365 million-worth of procurement in 2021-22. Can my hon. Friend set out specifically what is being done to ensure the continued production of virgin steel in the UK?

Answer from Nusrat Ghani

Steel is vital to the UK, but we know that the industry needs to decarbonise for a sustainable future. The Paris agreement made it clear that the sector had to reduce its global emissions by 93% by 2050. Industrial sectors, including steel companies, can bid into Government funds worth hundreds of millions of pounds to help them go green.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask regarding continued production of virgin steel was not addressed directly.

How: Fundamental Disagreement, Speculation

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Q2 Holly Mumby-Croft
Business & Trade
Context

The MP is questioning the government's commitment to using UK-made steel in Government contracts, particularly mentioning Port Talbot.

Question

UK is the only major steel-producing nation where production is falling. The Minister and her colleagues have been telling us they cannot guarantee the use of UK-made steel in Government contracts. Will the Minister confirm that this problem with steel is because the Government do not view it as a strategically important industry? They failed steelworkers at Port Talbot.

Answer from Nusrat Ghani

I fundamentally disagree with the question. We have put together a steel procurement policy note and provided support with high energy costs, as well as a decarbonisation budget that the industry can link into. I fundamentally disagree with the hon. Gentleman's proposition.

Not addressed: The specific ask about strategic importance of steel was not addressed directly.

How: Fundamental Disagreement, Speculation

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Q3 Bill Esterson Lab Sefton Central
Employment Energy Business & Trade
Context

The MP is highlighting concerns about job losses and misjudgments by the government in various sectors like steel, train assembly, and offshore wind.

Question

In Wales, this Government will spend half a billion pounds to make thousands of Port Talbot steelworkers redundant. Head north to Derby for threats at a train assembly plant due to High Speed 2 bungling. The UK coastline has zero offshore wind contracts due to misjudgments. Will the Minister explain how many jobs are lost at Tata Steel, in Derby, and in offshore wind?

Answer from Nusrat Ghani

I welcome the hon. Member to her post but suggest leading on speculative stories is not a good way forward. We have provided £730 million in support with energy costs, and more than £1 billion for decarbonisation.

Not addressed: The specific ask about job losses was not addressed directly.

How: Fundamental Disagreement, Speculation

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