Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:23 pm on 15 May 2019.
Can I thank the Member, Dai Rees, for tabling this very important question? I also welcome the Minister's commitment towards the steel industry—continued commitment towards the steel industry. We simply can't afford a situation where we lose jobs in the steel industry like we did at Shotton in the 1980s. It's been a roller-coaster ride of uncertainty for workers and their families, so I do welcome again the Minister's commitment to ensure that they have the support they need right across Wales.
Minister, can I urge you to continue the work you're doing to ensure that we don't lose investment here, and maybe sit down with the Members who have steel in their constituencies post your engagement visit to the Netherlands? Also, just to focus on a few points that were mentioned earlier in this question, the UK Government does need to do more to address the underlying problems facing the UK steel industry, so would the Minister agree with me that it is the sky-high energy costs that are leaving steel makers within the UK and the European markets—? They're competing with the European market, leaving the UK steel industry with one hand tied behind their backs.
Finally, Minister, would you also agree that procurement is also important? We've got projects within the UK, like the Royal Navy's new fleet solid ships, which gives us an opportunity here in Wales, here in the UK, to use our steel. Overall, Minister, we do need to do more. The uncertainty for the families of the steelworkers needs to end, and we all need to work closer together to ensure that steel making is a success within Wales, as it can be, as it has been in the past, and as it needs to be for the future.