Tata Steel

Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:26 pm on 8 January 2020.

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Photo of Ken Skates Ken Skates Labour 3:26, 8 January 2020

Can I thank Jack Sargeant for his questions and his contribution? The UK Government has been making very recent soundings that would suggest it is willing to be more interventionist than it has been since 2010. I would urge them to use steel and the need to intervene in what's happening to the UK steel industry to demonstrate that willingness to be more proactive to save valuable, highly skilled, well-paid jobs. The First Minister and I will together be visiting Tata in Shotton in the coming weeks. I'm looking forward to receiving the Member there, speaking with management, with unions, and with the workforce, and in particular discussing opportunities for the site. Of course, there's the potential for a Heathrow logistics hub at Tata in Shotton, which could bring huge opportunities to the area. But, I'm keen also to support the role that Welsh Government could offer in terms of skills training. We've already put on the table and utilised £11.7 million for skills training at Tata across its sites, and that has made a great difference to the life chances of people employed in the company. I'm keen to make sure that we are maximising opportunities for people to reskill and to upskill accordingly.