6. Statement by the Minister for Economy: The Future of the Steel Industry

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:30 pm on 6 July 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Jack Sargeant Jack Sargeant Labour 5:30, 6 July 2021

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd, and I'm honoured to be the vice-chair of the cross-party group on steel. It's an extremely important sector for Wales and across the United Kingdom and I do thank the Minister for bringing this statement forward today. The Minister will know we have a proud tradition of steel production in my constituency of Alyn and Deeside and we celebrate 125 years of steel production in Shotton Steel this year. Local steel production in Alyn and Deeside is a must if we are to tackle the climate change emergency and produce the next generation of green products. For me, there are two ways we can help achieve this: one is becoming the first carbon-neutral site in the United Kingdom, and the second one is locating a logistics hub at the Shotton site to build the next generation of low-carbon modular homes.

With those two points in mind, Minister, will you accompany me at Shotton Steel for a visit to see the site, meet the dedicated and highly skilled workforce and their trade union representatives, to discuss just how Welsh Government can further support Shotton Steel's sustainable plans for the future?