Contributions
3,693 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDRetail CrimeThe hon. Gentleman makes an important point. This is not a victimless crime; it impacts shops, workers and customers. Credit is due to the hon. Gentleman for visiting the shops in…30 Nov 2023HANSARDMaking Britain a Clean Energy SuperpowerI am sure that putting that forward now means that the record will reflect it. If it was not £37 million, I dread to think what it was. My hon. Friend the Member for Totnes…09 Nov 2023HANSARDMaking Britain a Clean Energy SuperpowerIt is a pleasure to close today’s debate on the King’s Speech on behalf of the Government and even more of a joy to be representing Wealden, my constituency, in doing so. There…09 Nov 2023HANSARDMaking Britain a Clean Energy SuperpowerWe were talking about Port Talbot and the change to electric arc furnaces there. There is, of course, the DRI hydrogen option, but it will not come online within the time that is…09 Nov 2023HANSARDMaking Britain a Clean Energy SuperpowerThey are all listening. Just over 70 years ago, in 1951, Churchill’s Government stood on the cusp of an extraordinary era of innovation that heralded the computer and the space…09 Nov 2023HANSARDMaking Britain a Clean Energy SuperpowerThat is a valuable point. The most frustrating aspect of being a Minister is the lack of sufficient time and space to talk about some of the challenges and how we respond to them.…09 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelFirst of all, negotiations are ongoing, but I fully appreciate that the statements from British Steel will be incredibly unsettling for my hon. Friend’s constituents. Let me…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelWhile negotiations were ongoing and support was being provided, we had a conversation to ensure that the supply chain continues to be resilient. A taskforce has been set up to…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelAbsolutely. That is why procurement went up by £97 million recently. I was looking at what the industry group UK Steel reflected on when it came to steel produced by electric arc…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelWe put in place a programme of work and a substantial sum of money—around £100 million—to ensure that the transition took place in a just fashion. Decisions will be taken by the…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelAbsolutely. I think all of this has made it clear to British Steel that there is a supply chain here in the UK, not only in the ability to make virgin steel but in the market…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelFirst of all, negotiations continue; no decision has been taken. Having said that, the UK steel industry group, which oversees the steel sector in the UK, has made it very clear…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelI of course agree with my hon. Friend’s first point: there is nobody more vocal about steel than my hon. Friend the Member for Scunthorpe (Holly Mumby-Croft). We have had a number…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelRecycled steel can be recycled infinite times, so it does a huge amount for the circular economy. Because of the way technology has moved on, steel can now be used in many more…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelI have put it on record previously that we need to ensure that we have blast furnace capacity in the UK, and that, fundamentally, should be at the Scunthorpe site. There are…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelI cannot disagree with that. I have been reading up on Scunthorpe steel: it has been used to create structures ranging from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to the London Eye, which…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelI had a feeling that I had mentioned that a few times. We have a fund of about £1.5 million, partly aimed to ensure that we are adopting, testing and commercialising new…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelI simply do not recognise the picture that the hon. Lady paints. Our recent decision on Tata Steel was welcomed by UK Steel, the organisation representing the UK sector, which…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelTata Steel employs more than 8,000 people and 12,500 further in the supply chain. All of that would have been at risk if we had not been able to provide the certainty it needed to…08 Nov 2023HANSARDBritish SteelThat is why the support was so substantial to Port Talbot, to ensure that the steel sector could continue to thrive here in the UK. Manufacturing in the UK is booming. We are the…08 Nov 2023