UK Steel Industry

Yes, I was. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that the Italian steel plant was not a blast furnace? T...

I will come to mothballing of blast furnaces, because that is another key finding by the BIS Comm...

What are my hon. Friend’s thoughts about the fact that there was a vote in the European Parliamen...

That is an absolute disgrace. We should all, regardless of where we sit and to which party we bel...

My hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock) has said that if I was ever on “Mastermi...

Despite the fact that my hon. Friend says that his specialist subject would be blast furnaces, he...

It’s state aid rules. You know that.

If the Minister will allow me to continue, why can investment in plant and machinery not be exemp...

Force them?

No, talk to them in a strategic manner rather than force them.

When it comes to moving rese...

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his speech. He has come up with some very interesting ideas ...

One thing that strikes me about these issues is this. As I said, these are global forces. The pri...

I do not intend to take up too much time, because there are hon. Friends wishing to speak who hav...

On chronology, we hear very often from the Government that all the problems have existed for a lo...

Until 2008, which was a big year for the steel industry, profits were massive. Everything coming ...

Signals.

Exactly. We need to send market signals to potential investors to demonstrate that we have indust...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell. I pay tribute to the previous Ch...

rose—

It runs into Neath, too.

Approximately 1,000 of my constituents work either at Tata in Port Talbot or at Trostre, and they...

My hon. Friend sets out clearly how the situation affects her constituents. The impact on not onl...

The promises, and the lack of delivery on those promises, specifically on market economy status f...

I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend, who is absolutely right. Such promises have been the ...

To return to the point about MES, there is the issue of what our allies are doing and what China ...

I agree wholeheartedly. We have already heard about a letter from Roy Rickhuss, the general secre...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising the point about currency devaluation. We have bee...

Absolutely. I would certainly be interested to hear the views of the Minister and experts within ...

To what extent does my hon. Friend think that the deal allowing Chinese currency to be exchanged ...

I would certainly be interested to hear the Minister’s response to that point. My hon. Friend rig...

Does my hon. Friend believe that maybe, just maybe, we need Treasury Ministers to attend these de...

That is important, because a whole-Government approach is needed. We saw the disjunction between ...

We have had an amazing debate. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon (Stephen Kinnock) f...

My hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point about national security capability. Celsa in m...

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, who has done valuable work fighting for his constituents,...

We understand, of course, that the Chinese economy needs to grow, and China has every right to do...

My hon. Friend has stolen my best line. That is exactly where I was going in my speech. The dumpi...

I referred in my speech to the Washington-based Economic Policy Institute, which looked at the sc...

What is inspiring today is the fact that we are all here doing that—fighting tooth and nail. I kn...

Can the hon. Lady tell us why the Welsh Assembly cannot do it?

Because the legislation is primary legislation that will come out of the Westminster Government.<...

Thank you, Mr Rosindell, for calling me to speak, and I also thank Mr Walker, our previous Chair....

Will the hon. Lady give way?

No. I would like to continue at the moment.

As I was saying, we should not allow China to g...

As part of the future for Dalzell and Clydebridge, does she see the integrated nature of Scunthor...

I think there is an issue about whether Dalzell and Clydebridge will be maintained by one of the ...

I made that point because the integrated nature of long products sustains each mill. In effect, w...

To answer the hon. Gentleman, I have doubts about and issues with what he says. I want production...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

Order. Has the hon. Member for Motherwell and Wishaw finished?

Yes, I have. Thank you.

The hon. Lady did not give way. I call Kevin Barron.

3.43 pm

Thank you very much, Mr Rosindell. It is not the first time I have been called Kevin Barron, even...

Order. I apologise.

We are very grateful, despite that slight slip on your part, Mr Rosindell—it was very uncharacter...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Christina Rees) first, who I forgot to me...

I totally agree with my hon. Friend about life chances. My father worked at the site of the Steel...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I know that the Minister understands this, but it is importan...

My hon. Friend is making an incredibly eloquent and moving point about how steel is in his blood,...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. One of my central points is that the British steel industry i...

Does my hon. Friend agree that if we do not successfully beat this back in relation to steel, oth...

I fear that my hon. Friend may well be right. It is clear that the Chinese state is absorbing the...

It is worth remembering that the Redcar blast furnace was constructed by the Callaghan Government...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I listened carefully to what the Prime Minister said about ma...

Oh God!

We all like the Minister immensely, but although she sighs and huffs and puffs, anybody with two ...

My hon. Friend will have heard the Foreign Secretary say last week that market economy status wil...

Indeed. We need to know what is going on regarding market economy status. Let us have some transp...

Another important avenue to explore is exactly what deal the Prime Minister did with President Xi...

Indeed. I am not sure whether the Minister was party to that deal, but it would be interesting to...

The hon. Gentleman is making important points, but will he help me out with something? In Novembe...

I do not think that anything the hon. Gentleman said is going to solve the dumping problem we are...

You should be ashamed of yourself.

The hon. Gentleman does not like it up him, unfortunately, but he is going to get it if he tries ...

With all the time that you have left me?

The Minister has 25 minutes. Will she explain the Government’s position on the blocking minority ...

No, I did not. Do not misrepresent me. I said four of the five.

Oh, now it is four of the five. The Minister has said that four of the five asks have been comple...

Quite right.

The Minister says that, but we need to know when it is going to happen. The final two actions tha...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

No, I will not give way. The hon. Gentleman and I can have a chat later, if he wants.

Will ...

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell, as it was to have Mr Walker in t...

Will the Minister give way?

In a moment.

I want to put something on record. I do not know whether it is significant, bu...

Just like Kevin.

Just like the shadow Minister, apparently, although not if he wants a future in his party, if he ...

You can do better than that.

I can do better than that, and I intend to.

My grandmother came from south Wales. We do not...

Based on the Minister’s opening remarks and the disgraceful comments from the Labour Front-Bench ...

The hon. Gentleman has put all that on record.

My hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Gool...

That is a tribal remark in itself.

Hang on. When Opposition Members, such as the hon. Member for Scunthorpe (Nic Dakin), have said t...

Will the Minister give way?

No, because I want to make some progress and to address all the points that have been made.