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 plans to introduce national standards for Electric Arc Furnace-grade steel scrap.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that the UK steel industry's shift towards electric arc furnaces will elevate the importance of high-quality scrap as a material for UK steelmaking. The UK’s abundant scrap supply offers domestic steelmaking a strategic advantage and this creates opportunities for both steelmakers and metal recyclers alike. No decisions have been taken at this stage on whether to introduce mandatory national standards for Electric Arc Furnace-grade steel scrap, but we are actively listening to the perspectives of all involved parties.
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 his Department has made of the potential economic and environmental benefits of retaining a greater proportion of UK-generated steel scrap for domestic Electric Arc Furnace use.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that the UK steel industry's shift towards electric arc furnaces will elevate the importance of high-quality scrap as a material for UK steelmaking. The Government has not performed an assessment of the economic impact of retaining scrap. However, we are actively listening to the perspectives of all involved parties.
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 ahead of the 2026 review of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to reduce non-tariff barriers affecting UK–EU goods movements.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are committed to making trade with our largest and most important partner easier by removing unnecessary barriers to trade.
We are negotiating with the EU on a number of issues that will slash red tape for businesses, including an SPS agreement to sweep away the majority of regulatory barriers for agrifood products, and tackle wider barriers to trade in organic products and key agri-food marketing standards. This agreement could increase the volume of UK exports of major agricultural commodities to the EU by 16%.
We continue to engage the EU through established channels, including relevant UK-EU Trade Specialised Committees.
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 increase domestic processing capacity for steel scrap.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government recognises that the UK steel industry's shift towards electric arc furnaces will elevate the importance of high-quality scrap as a material for UK steelmaking. The Government is committed to working with the supply chain to generate the conditions for growth and we are actively listening to the perspectives of all involved parties. Companies can also approach the National Wealth Fund, which has a remit to invest in the steel supply chain, in line with its investment principles.
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, how much funding was allocated to the steel innovation grant scheme.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are committed to providing up to £2.5bn for the steel sector, which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund. The NWF has £5.8bn to invest across clean energy and advanced manufacturing sectors, including steel, and is engaging with firms on opportunities aligned with its investment principles.
No funding has been allocated to a competitive steel grant fund.
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 publish (a) internal advice and (b) correspondence relating to the decision to not proceed with proposals to give businesses a cash grant for innovative steel projects.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We remain committed to providing up to £2.5bn for the steel sector, which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund. The NWF has £5.8bn to invest across clean energy and advanced manufacturing sectors, including steel, and is engaging with firms on opportunities aligned with its investment principles.
In February 2025, the UK government launched a "Plan for Steel" consultation to seek views on issues such as electricity costs, trade challenges, domestic demand, and funding. The forthcoming Steel Strategy will set out our response to those issues.
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 help support steel businesses with (a) innovative and (b) low-carbon projects.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government has committed up to £2.5bn to the UK steel industry, which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund (NWF). The NWF has £5.8bn to invest across clean energy and advanced manufacturing sectors, including steel, and is engaging with firms on opportunities aligned with its investment principles. This is in addition to £500m grant funding towards Tata’s overall £1.25bn Port Talbot transformation project, which will see the Port Talbot site transition to lower carbon Electric Arc Furnace steel making.
We have also supported innovation through our £22million in funding of the Material Processing Institute’s PRISM programme since 2020, and have recently consulted on proposals to deliver a framework of voluntary policies to grow demand for low carbon industrial products, with an initial focus on the steel, cement, and concrete products used in construction.
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 received (a) applications and (b) expressions of interest prior to the decision to not proceed with proposals to give businesses a cash grant for innovative steel projects.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are committed to providing up to £2.5bn for the steel sector, which is being delivered in part through the National Wealth Fund (NWF). A consultation was launched in February 2025 regarding the upcoming steel strategy, and we sought views on further potential mechanisms to support the steel industry, including the possibility of grant funding. However, we were not seeking applications or expressions of interest at that stage.
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.