Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to secure UK-specific country quotas for steel exports under the European Commission’s proposed import quota system.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is actively assessing the potential impact of this proposal, and we are in active dialogue with the European Commission on the details of their proposal and next steps.
We will continue to take a cool-headed approach to any possible tariffs and remain prepared to defend the UK’s national interest where it is right to do so.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing steel import quotas to ensure that 60 per cent of steel used in the UK is made by domestic producers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Steel is a top priority for this Government and we recognise the continuing challenges facing the UK steel industry – driven by global overcapacity and with a changing landscape on international trade.
This Government is developing a steel strategy to be published in 2025 that will set out a long-term vision for a bright and sustainable steel sector in the UK and the actions needed to get there. Moreover, we will will ensure there is a plan in place for the UK steel industry in light of the expiry of the global safeguard measure on certain steel imports next year.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has held discussions with the European Commission on mitigating the potential impact of proposed EU steel import quotas on UK steel exports.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are in active dialogue with the European Commission on this issue. The Secretary of State spoke about it with Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, on 20 October.
We will continue to take a cool-headed approach to any possible tariffs and remain prepared to defend the UK’s national interest where it is right to do so.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of ensuring the continuation of domestic steel manufacturing on the UK’s (a) critical national infrastructure resilience and (b) emergency response capability.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We recognise the strategic importance of a secure and resilient steel supply, and the domestic steel sector has an important role to play in supporting our national infrastructure, defence capability and broader national resilience.
This government will continue to support security of supply that protects our national resilience. These factors, among many others, will inform part of our wider approach to the sector ahead of the publication of the steel strategy later this year, and, as announced in the industrial strategy, steel will be a component of ongoing analysis conducted by the new Supply Chain Centre.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent discussions her Department has had with the European Commission on the timetable for implementing its proposals to replace the EU steel safeguard system; and whether the Government has sought transitional arrangements for UK-based producers.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are in active dialogue with the European Commission on this issue. The Secretary of State spoke about it with Maroš Šefčovič, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, on 20 October.
We reserve the right to take any action in response to any changes to our trading relationships to protect steel jobs and defend our steel industry.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the European Commission’s proposal to reduce tariff-free steel import quotas and increase out-of-quota tariffs to 50% on UK steel exports; and what steps she is taking to negotiate UK-specific quotas for steel products.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is actively assessing the potential impact of this proposal and we are in active dialogue with the European Commission on the details of their proposal and next steps.
We reserve the right to take any action in response to any changes to our trading relationships to protect steel jobs and defend our steel industry.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the temporary shutdown at Port Talbot steelworks on local supply-chain businesses.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Tata Steel UK has made an operational decision to extend existing Christmas maintenance periods at three of their sites, Port Talbot Hot Rolled Products, Trostre, and Llanwern Pickle line. We know this will be a worrying time for Tata’s staff and for their local supply-chain businesses and we remain in close contact with Tata to monitor the situation and assess any potential impacts.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to introduce new UK steel import safeguards to replace the current regime when it expires in 2026.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Steel is a top priority for this Government and we recognise the continuing challenges facing the UK steel industry – driven by persistent global overcapacity and with a changing landscape on international trade.
We will ensure there is a plan in place for the UK steel industry in light of the expiry of the global safeguard measure on certain steel imports next year. That is why we launched a Call for Evidence on Steel Trade Measures on the 26th of June to inform the design of any potential trade measures, including appropriate tariff rates and quota levels.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage (a) domestic and (b) international investment in green hydrogen.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The UK is well placed to support a thriving hydrogen economy, with a robust and growing pipeline of production projects in development in the coming decade, providing an opportunity for domestic and international investors. My department has been working closely with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to showcase the opportunities for investment in the UK hydrogen sector.
We recently announced 27 shortlisted green hydrogen projects across the UK for the second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2), marking a key milestone and reaffirming the Government’s commitment to the sector. Our upcoming industrial strategy will provide support for global investors.
Asked by: David Chadwick (Liberal Democrat - Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to support the development of a resilient UK-based supply chain for green hydrogen (a) production, (b) storage and (c) distribution technologies.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the importance of resilient, home-grown clean energy supply chains to support and secure growth as we decarbonise our economy. We have a number of levers to support our supply chains, including support via the National Wealth Fund, and our upcoming Industrial Strategy.
My officials in the UK and overseas are working closely with UK based supply chain companies to highlight and develop opportunities for UK supply chain across the hydrogen value chain both in the UK and abroad.