Steel Tariffs
Debate between Chris McDonald and John Whittingdale(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)
I call Sir John Whittingdale, who, after hearing the answer, may wish to get into the private Members’ Bills queue.
Sir John Whittingdale (Maldon) (Con)
Indeed. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Can Minister state what assessment he has made of the grades of steel that are simply not produced in this country? What is his message to companies such as C&M Precision Ltd in my constituency, and all those mentioned this afternoon, that face an immediate increase in their costs, because they have absolutely no alternative except to import their steel?
Chris McDonald
The Government have done a very detailed assessment of the steels that are not made and could not be made in the UK. Unfortunately, because of how the categorisations are set, some steel grades are swept up in a tariff measure along with other steels that are made in the UK. The quotas are designed to deal with that, so this is really about getting the quota level right, and that is very much part of the discussion we are having today—but I do understand the problem.