Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to persuade the Tata Steel Company to minimise job losses in their steel works at Port Talbot.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As announced on the 15th of September 2023, Tata Steel is investing £1.25 billion, including a UK Government grant worth up to £500 million, in a new Electric Arc Furnace. This support is expected to save at least 5,000 jobs in the company, and thousands more in the supply chain.
Where staff are affected by the transition to an Electric Arc Furnace, Tata has a legal obligation to consult staff in a meaningful way, and this process is underway, led by the company. Whilst this is a process for the company to lead on, Ministers and officials are meeting regularly with both Tata Steel and Union representatives, and will continue to hold Tata to account during the consultation process.
Regardless of the outcome of the consultation, we are working with Tata Steel to provide up to £100 million of funding for a dedicated Transition Board, with membership including representatives of the Welsh Government, to support impacted employees and the local economy. Tata has also announced that they will provide a £130 million comprehensive support package for affected employees.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the deposits of lithium in Wales and Scotland; and whether they will ensure that all such is conveyed to the respective devolved authorities.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Critical Minerals Strategy committed to collate UK geoscientific data and identify areas of geological potential for critical mineral extraction. The Department for Business and Trade commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the study, “Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK”, delivered by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) and was published in 2023. It is a preliminary assessment of geological factors only, and its findings do not mean prospective areas identified will necessarily be targeted for exploration and mining. Mineral planning policy is also a devolved matter.
Areas of potential geological prospectivity for critical minerals were identified in both Scotland and Wales. Regarding the geological prospectivity for lithium, the report identified two areas in Scotland and no areas in Wales.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage Tata Steel to minimise job losses in their steel works at Port Talbot.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is providing a grant worth up to £500 million, as part of a wider £1.25 billion investment by Tata Steel. This will not only modernise Port Talbot but protect the majority of jobs for the long term.
Tata has a legal obligation to consult staff in a meaningful way, and this process is underway, led by the company. Whilst this is a process for the company to lead on, Ministers and officials are meeting regularly with both Tata Steel and Union representatives and will continue to hold Tata to account during the consultation process.
Regardless of the outcome of the consultation, we are working with Tata Steel to provide up to £100 million of funding for a dedicated Transition Board, with membership including representatives of the Welsh Government, to support impacted employees and the local economy. Tata has also announced that they will provide a £130 million comprehensive support package for affected employees.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of deposits of lithium in Wales and Scotland, and what discussions they have had with the respective devolved administrations to ensure they are aware of such information.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Critical Minerals Strategy committed to collate UK geoscientific data and identify areas of geological potential for critical mineral extraction. The Department for Business and Trade commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the study, “Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK”, delivered by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) and was published in 2023. It is a preliminary assessment of geological factors only, and its findings do not mean prospective areas identified will necessarily be targeted for exploration and mining. Mineral planning policy is also a devolved matter.
Areas of potential geological prospectivity for critical minerals were identified in both Scotland and Wales. Regarding the geological prospectivity for lithium, the report identified two areas in Scotland and no areas in Wales.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the volume and value of cheese exports to Canada in each of the last five years, and what assessment they have made of the likely impact on those figures of not concluding a trade agreement with Canada.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Between 2018 and 2022 the UK exported between 1.5 and 2.2 kilotonnes of cheese to Canada each year, worth between £11 million and £18.7 million.
Prior to 1 January 2024, UK exporters could export cheese to Canada through a Canadian importer with a licence for Canada’s “EU” World Trade Organisation quota. As of 1 January 2024, the Canadian importer must have a licence for Canada’s “non EU” World Trade Organisation quota to import UK cheese.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the tonnage of coil and sheet steel (1) manufactured in, and (2) imported into, the UK in each of the past five years.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Coil and sheet steel, commonly known as flat steel, is predominantly manufactured by Tata Steel in the UK. Based on Companies House data (here), Tata Steel's production volumes are in the table below:
Year | Production (Millions of Tonnes of Liquid Steel) |
17/18 | 3.6 |
18/19 | 3.2 |
19/20 | 3.5 |
20/21 | 3.4 |
21/22 | 3.5 |
Spartan UK and Liberty Steel Dalzell also produce flat steel products, volumes for which are relatively small. Data made available through Companies House, however, are unavailable on a consistent and comparable basis with Tata Steel.
Based on HMRC Trade Info (here), the figures for imports of flat steel products are in the table below:
Year | Imports (Millions of Tonnes) |
2018 | 3.7 |
2019 | 3.4 |
2020 | 2.4 |
2021 | 3.1 |
2022 | 2.7 |
Flat Steel products defined by HS Codes 7208-7212, 7219, 7220, 7225 and 7226.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what sums were received from the EU for economic, social and regional regeneration projects in each year since 2015–16 under programmes agreed prior to the UK's exit from the EU by (1) Wales and (2) the UK.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The UK’s participation in European Structural & Investment (ESI) Fund programmes (ERDF, ESF, EAFRD and EMFF 2014-2020) will conclude at the end of December 2023 in relation to commitments made before the end of the transition period. The UK is allocated and therefore due to receive a total of €16.4bn to be spent by 31 December 2023.
Allocations under these programmes, including those for Wales, are set out in the EU Structural and Investment Funds: UK Partnership Agreement – Part 1, Sections 1 and 2 (Revised 31 January 2020) (attached Table 1.6).
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Wales concerning the development of a battery gigafactory in Wales.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Department for Business and Trade regularly engage with the Devolved Governments to discuss the successful transition to electric vehicles in the UK automotive industry.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what sums they have spent on supporting the steel industry in Wales in each of the past five years.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Industrial sectors, including the steel sector in Wales, have been able to bid into Government funds worth hundreds of millions of pounds to support energy efficiency and decarbonisation. In February, we announced the British Industry Supercharger – decisive measures to reduce energy costs for energy intensive industries, including steel, in line with those charged across the world’s major economies. We have provided extensive energy costs relief to the steel sector since 2013, including through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. Steel producers will continue to receive support until 31 March 2024 through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS).