Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Kinnock and Greg Clark

Tuesday 31st January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

I thank my hon. Friend for his contribution to the consultation. We are very clear that we need to see infrastructure investment in all parts of the country. It is one reason why we have created institutions such as Transport for the North to be able to take those decisions locally.

[Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon) (Lab)]

The Government’s industrial strategy has sector deals for a number of sectors, which is welcome. Given the vital cross-cutting foundational nature of the steel industry, will the Minister now commit to a sector deal for steel?

[Greg Clark]

I can tell the hon. Gentleman that I have already been having discussions with the steel industry with precisely that purpose in mind.

Industrial Strategy Consultation

Debate between Stephen Kinnock and Greg Clark

Monday 23rd January 2017 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon) (Lab)]

Given the vital nature of steel as a foundation industry, it is pretty astonishing that it gets only one passing mention on about page 100 of this Green Paper. May I commend to the Secretary of State the report “Steel 2020”, which was produced by the all-party group on steel and metal-related industries? May I ask him to read it and perhaps come to a future meeting of the all-party group so that he can explain why steel has not been given a sector deal in the Green Paper, and why it seems to have been airbrushed out of the strategy so far?

[Greg Clark]

I am afraid that the hon. Gentleman talks nonsense. I have had very cordial and successful meetings with the steel industry, and it is excited about the prospects of working strategically for its future. I have had the pleasure of attending meetings of the all-party group in the past, and I look forward to doing so again.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Stephen Kinnock and Greg Clark

Tuesday 13th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[Stephen Kinnock (Aberavon) (Lab)]

The energy-intensive industries compensation scheme is due to end in April 2017. The Government have promised to bring forward legislation to exempt energy-intensive industries from renewable obligations and feed-in tariffs, but we are still waiting for that to happen. As things stand, the steel industry is therefore looking down the barrel of having to go back to the crippling energy costs it faced until the compensation package was introduced. Will the Secretary of State assure us that measures will be put in place before April 2017 to ensure that we do not go back to that situation?

[Greg Clark]

The discussions we have had with the steel sector emphasise the importance of energy costs, and our commitment is to work with the sector to bring them down.