Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using domestically sourced lithium in the manufacture of electric buses.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The new Critical Minerals Strategy will set out how the government will maximise the domestic production of key critical minerals like lithium, for which the UK has significant projects underway. As part of this, the government will continue to engage with downstream manufacturers- including the transport sector - to explore how the domestic production of critical minerals can support UK manufacturers.
Additionally, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will support the Department for Transport (DfT) broader commitment to transitioning to zero-emission buses (ZEBs), which are central to delivering cleaner, quieter journeys and supporting UK manufacturing.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in countries in the Minerals Security Partnership on aligning (a) environmental, (b) social and (c) governance guidelines on critical minerals.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The forthcoming Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure supplies of critical minerals vital to the UK’s economic growth and clean energy transition, promoting responsible and transparent supply chains. A more responsible supply chain is a more resilient and sustainable one.
Government puts responsible practice at the heart of our international approach, and we support partners to consolidate existing environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. We promote best ESG practice through our bilateral agreements and multilateral engagements, including the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP). The MSP’s ESG Principles demonstrate members’ commitment to integrating ESG standards, guidance and support into MSP activity (MSP’s ESG Principles).
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that social value for communities and workers is prioritised in the forthcoming Critical Mineral Strategy.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The new Critical Minerals Strategy will support the industries of tomorrow, be explicitly targeted at UK strengths, articulate the impacts on people’s lives, deliver for businesses and create new jobs across the UK.
In developing the Strategy, the UK Government is committed to the sustainable development of natural resources in the UK and overseas, in close collaboration with local communities and their workforce to ensure they benefit in turn. The UK Government places a high priority on mining and mineral processing being carried out to the highest standards.
Asked by: Noah Law (Labour - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandating a 50,000 tons per annum production target for domestic lithium.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, industrial strategy ambitions, and clean energy transition.
Domestic production of lithium will be increasingly important as demand for resilient and responsible sources of critical minerals grows. The St Austell and Newquay constituency is home to several promising lithium projects like Imerys-British Lithium and Cornish Lithium, which recently celebrated opening the UK's first lithium hydroxide demonstration plant this month.
Government is considering policy options to secure our critical mineral supply chains and will be engaging closely with industry to realise our potential for producing critical minerals domestically.