Iain Duncan Smith

Domestic production of lithium will be increasingly important as demand for resilient and responsible sources of critical minerals grows. Government has supported several lithium projects through the Automotive Transformation Fund, and the UK recently celebrated the opening of the first lithium hydroxide demonstration plant by Cornish Lithium. in Government will continue to work closely with industry to maximise our potential for domestic lithium production.

The Autumn Budget committed over £2bn by 2030 for the automotive sector including the electric vehicle manufacturing sector and supply chain, including gigafactories. Alongside the National Wealth Fund, this will accelerate investment in our zero emission vehicle supply chain providing long-term certainty for industry.

No company should have forced labour in its supply chains. This Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from human and labour rights abuses. The Government is reviewing how we can best tackle forced labour in supply chains.

No company should have forced labour in its supply chains. This Government is committed to working with international partners and businesses to ensure global supply chains are free from human and labour rights abuses. The Government is reviewing how we can best tackle forced labour in supply chains.

The UK consistently raises human rights issues at the highest levels with the Chinese authorities. The Government’s overseas business risk guidance sets out the risks of operating in Xinjiang and urges UK companies to conduct appropriate due diligence and consider their corporate responsibilities when making business decisions.

The Government recently announced the re-establishment of the Solar Taskforce to bring together experts from across Government and industry. Publication of the Solar Roadmap will follow shortly and that will set out recommendations on how we and industry will work together to achieve our ambition to triple the UK’s solar capacity by 2030.

No company in the UK should have forced labour in its supply chain. We will be working with colleagues across Government to tackle the issue of Uyghur forced labour in supply chains.

We are also relaunching the Solar Taskforce, which will focus on identifying and taking forward the actions needed to develop supply chains that are resilient, sustainable and free from forced labour. This will support the significant increases in deployment of solar panels needed to meet our ambition of tripling the UKs solar power capacity by 2030.

The Government is committed to strengthening protections to ensure that people can reduce the risks that can ensue from harmful gambling. We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence on the impact of gambling advertising from a wide range of sources in order to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk. The department has noted the report from Ipsos and the University of Bristol on marketing restrictions in international jurisdictions.

We are in the early stages of the new Government and are still considering the full range of gambling policy. The Government recognises the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in its manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. The Government will consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources, including the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.

We are in the early stages of the new Government and are still considering the full range of gambling policy. The Government recognises the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in its manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. The Government will consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources, including the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.

We are in the early stages of the new Government and are still considering the full range of gambling policy. The Government recognises the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in its manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. The Government will consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources, including the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.

We are in the early stages of the new Government and are still considering the full range of gambling policy. The Government recognises the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in its manifesto, the Government is committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk. The Government will consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources, including the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB), to inform decisions on how best to fulfil its manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) leads across government on the classification and labelling of chemicals and acts as the Agency for the assimilated Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures as amended in Great Britain (or the GB CLP Regulation).

HSE is responsible for the GB mandatory classification and labelling system (GB MCL) and its administrative procedures in accordance with a timetable set out in UK law.

The weight and strength of all the available scientific information relating to the hazardous properties of a chemical are used when making recommendations for mandatory classification and labelling of chemicals. The technical assessments and reports that underpin these recommendations follow the criteria in the GB CLP Regulation.

Ministers have made no assessment of the potential merits of applying a wider weight of evidence approach when making decisions on the mandatory (a) classification and (b) labelling of chemicals.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is considering whether to initiate the Article 37A process under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (GB CLP) following publication of the Agency Opinion on the classification and labelling of lithium carbonate [1] lithium chloride [2] and lithium hydroxide [3] in August 2023.

Under Article 37A, HSE, as the GB CLP Agency, may submit a proposal for a new or revised GB mandatory classification and labelling requirement when there is evidence of new scientific data or information that may lead to a new or revised mandatory classification and labelling for a priority hazard class, such as carcinogenicity, mutagenicity or reproductive toxicity.

There is no statutory time limit on HSE to prepare and submit a proposal. HSE regulatory and scientific specialists are investigating the evidence and new scientific data made available and, if necessary, seeking any additional information or consulting other departments or agencies. HSE is continuing to engage with stakeholders during this process.

No discussions have been held on this issue between the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and HSE.

£1.2 million has recently been released to Barts Health NHS Trust to support them in continuing the development of their Outline Business Case for the new Whipps Cross Hospital during the review into the New Hospital Programme (NHP). While the review is taking place, we are continuing to support all schemes within the NHP. Requests for funding during this time are being considered on an individual basis. The review will feed into the Spending Review process, where decisions on the outcome will be taken in the round and the Government will confirm the outcome of the review as part of that process.

As stated in the answer of 9 September 2024 to question 3677, £1.2 million has recently been released to the Barts Health NHS Trust to support them in continuing the development of their Outline Business Case for the new Whipps Cross Hospital.

We are continuing to support schemes in progressing while the review is ongoing, with requests for funding during this time being considered on an individual basis. The review will conclude this autumn, and Parliament will be updated on the next steps for the programme.

We are reviewing the New Hospital Programme to put it on a sustainable footing, including a realistic timetable for delivery and clarity on the funding required. The review will be completed as soon as possible this autumn. Once concluded, Parliament will be updated on the next steps for the Programme and individual schemes, including Whipps Cross Hospital.

£1.2 million has been released recently to Barts Health NHS Trust to support them in continuing the development of their Outline Business Case for the main scheme during the review period. Construction has also started on a Multi Storey Car Park on the site.

I [Minister Doughty] raised the detention of prominent academic Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov during our call on 31 October, and with Presidential Representative Elchin Amirbayov on 29 October. The UK consistently advocates for Dr Ibadoghlu to receive all appropriate medical access and treatment, and for a fair legal process. We will continue to raise his case alongside wider human rights issues of concern.

As previously referenced in the Answer to 10968, this is the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Mauritius, and we are unable to provide further comment. We continue to monitor the situation.

If you're a British national (overseas), your child is a British citizen if both: they were born in the UK, and you were a British citizen or settled in the UK (had 'indefinite leave to remain') when they were born. The FCDO provides consular assistance to British nationals abroad. In some cases, British Nationals of Hong Kong or Chinese descent may be considered Chinese by the Chinese authorities meaning the consular assistance we can provide may be limited. As per our nationality guidance, we advise seeking legal advice where appropriate for individual cases.

The reported event occurred prior to the launch of negotiations in November 2022. This is the subject of an ongoing police investigation in Mauritius, and we are unable to provide further comment.

Since Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu's arrest in July 2023, the UK has consistently advocated for the right to a fair legal process and appropriate medical access, including permission for temporary leave from Azerbaijan to receive specialist medical care abroad, if required. The UK has consistently called on the Azerbaijani Government to protect the human rights and freedoms of all its citizens, and we will continue to work to ensure Dr Ibadoghlu's rights are upheld.

The Chancellor and I know that the loan charge is a very important matter for many members and their constituents. We have been considering this matter since taking office and will provide an update in due course.

The Home Office works across government to tackle modern slavery in supply chains and holds regular discussions with other government departments on legislative and non-legislative measures to enhance our approach.

The Home Office is currently updating the Section 54 statutory guidance to support businesses with more practical guidance on how to tackle modern slavery in their supply chains. We are setting up the Forced Labour Forum, which will include representatives from government, civil society organisations, businesses and academics to ensure the guidance is fit for purpose and is applicable across sectors.

The Government is committed to improving our response to modern slavery and will set out next steps more broadly in due course.

The Home Office does not provide guidance on whether specific products have been made entirely or partially with forced labour.

The Government encourages businesses to monitor their supply chains with rigour, to uncover and remedy any instances of modern slavery they may find. Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, commercial businesses who operate in the UK and have a turnover of £36m or more must report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains by publishing an annual modern slavery statement. The purpose of these ‘transparency in supply chains’ provisions is to allow scrutiny by consumers, investors, and civil society.

Businesses must ensure their statement has been approved by the Board, signed by a director and is available on the homepage of their website. They must publish the statement within 6 months of their financial year end. The Home Office has published statutory guidance for businesses to support them in drafting these statements. This guidance also provides information and further resources to support businesses identify and mitigate modern slavery risks in their supply chains.

To further enhance transparency, the modern slavery statement registry was launched in March 2021 to bring modern slavery statements together on a single platform.

Applications relating to the proposals for a new Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court have been called in for Ministers to decide. Calling in these applications should not be taken as any indication of views on the merits of the proposals.

An appointed Inspector will hold a public inquiry which will hear a range of evidence for and against the proposals, after which a decision will be made by MHCLG ministers. As this case will come before ministers in MHCLG to determine, it would not be appropriate to comment further.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of offenders who received custodial sentences for possession of cannabis in the Outcomes by Offence tool: December 2023.

This can be accessed by navigating to the ‘Sentence Outcomes’ tab and using the ‘Sentence Outcome’ filter to select immediate custody and the ‘HO Offence Code’ filter to select the following HO offence codes:

09261 - Having possession of a controlled drug - class B (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives)

09266 - Having possession of a controlled drug - class C (cannabis, including cannabis resin, cannabinol and cannabinol derivatives) – historic

Offence groups and offence types are continually revised to reflect offences accurately. However, it is important to note that data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts. As a consequence, offences that have been repealed may still be used by court administration and appear in the data.

The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the total number of convictions for possession of cannabis on all-offence basis in the All-offence prosecutions and convictions data tool.

A breakdown on how many offenders convicted for possession of cannabis were also convicted for another offence, and where an offender has been convicted of multiple counts of possession of cannabis at the same time, will count each individual conviction. Therefore, the information requested, on a defendant basis has been provided in Table 1 and Table 2.