Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of natural disasters on (a) semiconductor supply chains and (b) global technology markets.

As the recently published Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy highlights, the UK Government is building capability to forecast and respond to external shocks to critical supply chains, including natural disasters. The Government will continue work to further the resilience of our critical imports and their supply chains, including semiconductors.

The UK Government is working closely with international partners, both bilaterally and multilaterally, to improve supply chain resilience for semiconductors. This includes working with the G7 and supporting the work of the OECD to improve the availability and exchange of information on semiconductor supply chain risks.