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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has a policy on the stockpiling of critical materials.

The Critical Minerals Strategy sets out the Government’s plans to make critical mineral supply chains more resilient. The Department of International Trade’s Supply Chains Resilience framework highlighted stockpiling as one of five possible areas to explore when building resilience in supply chains. We are analysing the pros and cons of stockpiling, including engagement of stakeholders and international partners, before making commitments.