, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Okay. Sorry, I cut across you then.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Those three points that you just mentioned then, are they all CCC recommendations?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
The CCC recommend 5 per cent. So, why the jump from 5 per cent to 10 per cent?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
General Ministerial Scrutiny: Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Diolch, Gadeirydd. Good morning, Minister. Good morning, witnesses. Where does the 10 per cent tree cover target come from?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions, and declarations of interest
Diolch yn fawr, Cadeirydd. I'm an honorary member of the British Veterinary Association.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Yes, okay. Thank you.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Thank you. We're pushed for time, so—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Okay, thank you. Has it come back to you, Dean?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Don't worry, Dean. No problem. Have a think, and I'll pop over to Vera and ask her, and then if it comes back to you, Dean, we'll come back to you. Vera.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Thank you. And then in terms of if EAF steel making does come to Port Talbot, the skills required by the workforce—are they skills that are easily transferable from what is at the Tata site in the workforce at the moment over to EAF, or is there development…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Thank you very much. Vera, anything to add there?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel 2
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Thank you both for joining us today. Dean, just continuing your train of thought there with regard to skills. Obviously, the Celtic free port has been announced for the Port Talbot and Haven waterway area. Are there opportunities there? Are…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Okay. Thank you, panel. Thank you, Chair.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Okay, thank you. Dr Richardson-Barlow.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Okay. Thank you. Professor Worsley, you've been very patient. Thank you.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Okay. Just before—I can see you jumping to come in, Professor Worsley, but just sticking with Ben on this point—Baglan bay's natural gas connection and that opportunity: is there an opportunity there in supporting DRI in Port Talbot with that gas connection?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
And you mentioned there, then—sorry, panel, I'll come back if anybody wants to jump in—the DRI, the direct reduced iron plant that Port Talbot potentially could be looking to invest in and construct. Is that a necessity, do you think, to satisfy steel making…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
So, if we're looking to satisfy the high-quality outcomes in terms of material, then we're reliant on a supply chain of high-quality scrap steel.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Does that come back, then, to the supply chain issue in terms of that—?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Interesting. Any other points from the panel on supply chains for scrap? No. Thank you. So, in terms of quality, then, and the quality of steel being used, Tata has said that more work is required around ensuring that it can make the products at the quality…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Well, sticking on that scrap metal theme, then, I know that British Steel is proposing to adopt a similar approach in Scunthorpe and Teeside. How likely is it that Tata could source the amount of scrap that is necessary to satisfy their plans?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Okay. Thank you, Ben. Professor Worsley.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Okay, thank you. And, Ben, you've made it quite clear today that it's not an environmental decision per se, it's an economic decision. Is that your analysis around this transition question as well?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
Thank you. Staying with yourself, then, if you don't mind: what might be the potential environmental impacts of taking the approach that—keeping a blast furnace open and an EAF?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Future of Welsh Steel: Expert panel
—when looking at Tata in Port Talbot.
