Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that airport expansion at (a) Heathrow and (b) Gatwick Airport will benefit the UK steel industry.

The Government’s steel procurement guidance sets out how government buyers should source steel in a more strategic and transparent way and will help to ensure that UK manufacturers are in the best possible place to react to tenders for major procurements when they arise. We would encourage companies to adopt the guidance where possible in their own purchasing activities.

Airports are privately owned companies and all of the promoters have proposed privately-funded schemes. It would be for the airport to procure the materials they need as these are privately financed and developed projects.