Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security of supply for chemicals such as methacrylates, ethylene, propylene and acrylonitrile required for vaccine production, personal protective equipment, and medical-grade materials in the light of supply chain disruption caused by the Iran conflict.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains. This includes ongoing discussion with industry partners about potential impacts on necessary raw materials and finished products used in healthcare.
We maintain well‑established contingency arrangements to manage supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.
We will continue to engage industry and health system partners to identify and mitigate any potential impact on patient care.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with industry about ensuring reliable access to disinfectants and sanitation chemicals, including hydrogen peroxide, ethanol and isopropanol, in the light of supply chain disruption caused by the Iran conflict.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains. This includes ongoing discussion with industry partners about potential impacts on necessary raw materials and finished products used in healthcare.
We maintain well‑established contingency arrangements to manage supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.
We will continue to engage industry and health system partners to identify and mitigate any potential impact on patient care.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on food security, including food packaging in protective atmospheres, of (1) the limitations of domestic production of the chemical precursors ammonia, carbon dioxide and ethylene, and (2) the disruption to the supply chain of those chemicals caused by the Iran conflict.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor any risks to our food system that may arise. At present, the conflict in the Middle East is not causing significant impacts to the supply of food to consumers, and the Government does not expect any short-term disruption. The Government will continue to monitor the situation and take all necessary steps. The Government has shored up the UK’s critical supplies of CO2, vital for Britain’s packaged meats and fresh food and for the nuclear and healthcare sectors, by temporarily restarting the Ensus bioethanol plant in Wilton, Teesside. This action forms part of wider Government work designed to ensure the UK maintains access to its critical industrial inputs during global supply shocks, such as the ongoing Iran conflict. The Government is also taking steps to diversify the UK’s long term CO2 supply, to strengthen UK resilience and reduce future reliance on imports. Defra will work with industry on our long-term plan to secure resilience in the sector.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on nuclear power security of (1) the limited domestic production of carbon dioxide, and (2) the disruption to the supply chain of carbon dioxide caused by the Iran conflict.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government works closely with industry to monitor and respond to risks to supply, and they are currently not reporting a risk to electricity generation.
We will continue to closely monitor this, and to strengthen domestic resilience, Government has supported a temporary three-month restart of the Ensus bioethanol plant, bolstering domestic carbon dioxide production, and maintaining access to critical carbon dioxide supplies.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to UK defence capability arising from (1) limited UK production of key chemical precursors and intermediate substances such as sulphuric acid, acrylonitrile, siloxane and methacrylates, and (2) supply chain disruption of those products as a result of the Iran conflict.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy prioritises building a more resilient UK industrial base. This includes strengthening critical supply chains that underpin defence, to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and to keep the UK safe and secure.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks by better understanding our dependencies on a range of critical raw materials, including chemicals, used in the manufacturing of equipment for our Armed Forces.
We monitor threats to critical pinch points in our supply chains, including the potential impact of the Iran war, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene.
MOD is actively engaged in the cross-government response to the Iran conflict and is continually assessing the potential impact on defence supply chains, particularly around fuel price increases and shipping disruption. Currently, the MOD assesses there has been no significant impact on the ability of the UK to manufacture defence equipment, but this will be kept under close review if the conflict continues.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's capability to manufacture defence equipment such as ballistic protection, battlefield electronics and military aviation in the light of disruption to the acrylonitrile and high performance carbon fibre supply chain caused by the Iran conflict.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy prioritises building a more resilient UK industrial base. This includes strengthening critical supply chains that underpin defence, to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and to keep the UK safe and secure.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks by better understanding our dependencies on a range of critical raw materials, including chemicals, used in the manufacturing of equipment for our Armed Forces.
We monitor threats to critical pinch points in our supply chains, including the potential impact of the Iran war, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene.
MOD is actively engaged in the cross-government response to the Iran conflict and is continually assessing the potential impact on defence supply chains, particularly around fuel price increases and shipping disruption. Currently, the MOD assesses there has been no significant impact on the ability of the UK to manufacture defence equipment, but this will be kept under close review if the conflict continues.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic output of downstream manufacturing industries that are reliant on essential chemical precursors where the UK has no or limited manufacturing capability, including ammonia, ethanol, methanol, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, sulphuric acid, siloxane, acrylonitrile, methacrylate, hexamethylene and titanium dioxide.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.
Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.
The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support or increase domestic production capacity of essential chemical precursors where the UK has no or limited manufacturing capability, including ammonia, ethanol, methanol, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, sulphuric acid, siloxane, acrylonitrile, methacrylate, hexamethylene and titanium dioxide.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.
Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.
The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to develop a strategic chemicals resilience programme to reduce reliance on foreign producers of critical primary building blocks and intermediates that support manufacturing activities in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.
Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.
The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's resilience in the supply of primary chemical building blocks such as ethylene, propylene, methanol, ammonia and titanium dioxide for clean energy applications.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.
Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.
The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.