Oral Answers to Questions

Madeleine Moon Excerpts

Thursday 17th May 2018 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab)]

1. What recent discussions he has had with his international counterparts on US tariffs on steel and aluminium.

[The Secretary of State for International Trade and President of the Board of Trade (Dr Liam Fox)]

The Prime Minister and I continue to raise our concerns with President Trump and his Administration about the potentially damaging impact of tariffs on our steel and aluminium industries.  We are working closely with the US and our EU partners to secure a permanent EU exemption to these tariffs.

[Mrs Moon]

Steel tariff exemptions are vital for Tata Steel. Many of my constituents work at Tata in Port Talbot in the next constituency along from mine. The exemption is welcome, but there are concerns about the US placing quotas on steel imports, which will have a major impact on the exports going not just from Britain but from Europe. How does the Secretary of State see himself protecting our export trade once we leave the European Union and do not have its negotiating power behind us?

[Dr Fox]

When it comes to protection post EU, we will have our own trade remedies measures. But of course the hon. Lady and her Labour colleagues voted against our being able to establish those when the legislation came to the House.

--- Later in debate ---

[Penny Mordaunt]

I will certainly do that. My hon. Friend can take that message very strongly to the meeting she is about to attend, and I thank her for the work she is doing to promote these careers and qualifications to girls. We fund the Stimulating Physics Network, which provides schools with the means to improve progression to physics A-level. The network provides activities specifically to increase the proportion of girls taking physics A-level.

[Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab)]

Of all Ministers, this Minister will be the one who understands the opportunities for girls, particularly those following STEM subjects, in joining the armed forces. The RAF presentation team is coming to my constituency, and I have particularly focused on asking primary schools if they would like to see the opportunity that STEM subjects offer for careers in our armed forces: does she agree?

[Penny Mordaunt]

I agree so much that I signed up myself. I pay tribute to the armed forces for the work they have done in recent years, in particular the RAF, some of whose initiatives have been pioneering. I would like to see more women serving in our armed forces; our armed forces will be operationally better if that is the case.