Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what discussions she has had with the UK critical minerals industry on a globally coordinated approach on environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards in mining.

The Department for International Trade and the Cabinet Office supported a recent Wilton Park conference which sought to identify and catalyse practical steps to develop coordination and governance for critical minerals worldwide. The conference included participants from across industry, academia and international organisations and has informed wider international discussions. We will continue to address the challenges of delivering a just global energy transition, while developing greater regulatory and practical cooperation on technology-critical minerals, as part of our presidency of COP26.