Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to protect and improve the UK's rare-earth supply chains.

The supply chain for critical minerals, including rare earth elements, has been, and will continue to be, supported through a number of Government initiatives. For example, the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced £500 million to support the electrification of vehicles and their supply chains, and other strategically important technologies including critical mineral processing, through the Automotive Transformation Fund.

Examples of UK rare earth companies attracting government support include Pensana, which is establishing capabilities to process rare earths for sustainable magnet metals at an offshore wind-powered freeport site at Saltend in the Humber, and Less Common Metals in Ellesmere Port, which is an established world-leader in rare earth alloy production.

The Government will publish a UK Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022, setting out its approach to securing technology-critical minerals and metals.