Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
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 merits of introducing domestic quotas for steel which reflect changes in UK (a) demand and (b) import shares.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In light of the expiry of the steel safeguard in June 2025, we are currently developing a new, robust trade measure to support resilient and secure supply chains.
Officials are working closely with stakeholders across the sector, and we are assessing a full range of supply chain interests in designing the measure, including for developing nations. This also includes consideration of UK demand patterns and import shares. Our approach will remain firmly evidence based and fully consistent with the UK’s international and domestic legal obligations.
Asked by: Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of energy standing charges on households in North Wales.
Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are committed to bearing down on the cost of standing charges and continue to work closely with the independent regulator, Ofgem, on this issue.
As a result of action following the Autumn Budget, and shifting the recovery of the Warm Home Discount to unit rates, the average standing charge in the Price Cap from April to end June has come down by £13, and standing charges are lower now than in July 2024.
In addition, on 25 February Ofgem announced the launch of a one-year, lower standing charge tariff pilot with some major suppliers, from April 2026.
Through its Cost Allocation and Recovery Review, Ofgem has also been reviewing how fixed costs, which tend to be funded through standing charges, should be recovered in the future energy system. This includes whether those fixed costs could be recovered in more progressive ways.