Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government is taking to work bilaterally to develop closer, alternative critical mineral supply chains.

There is a growing interest in critical mineral projects across the United Kingdom, and the Department continues to support such investment opportunities. Most critical mineral projects in the United Kingdom are operated by companies that are registered here.

HM Government is working to support and enable more British investment in extraction, processing and refining. We work with our international partners to strengthen critical supply chains too, as we seek to improve our national security and economic resilience.

We have committed to publishing a Critical Minerals Strategy in 2022, which will set out how we will establish an enabling environment for growing the sector domestically, and how we can work internationally to secure the sustainability of Britain’s supply.