Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen regulatory certainty for (a) the lithium industry and (b) other critical mineral industries.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The government’s Critical Minerals Strategy sets out how we are improving the resilience of critical mineral supply chains, safeguarding UK industry, increasing confidence in the UK’s energy transition, and protecting national security.
In terms of regulatory certainty, the Strategy sets out how we will ensure that UK domestic critical mineral companies comply with permitting and planning regulations, and how we will encourage the proportionate use of globally recognised frameworks and guidelines for responsible mining that protect the interests of communities and our natural environment.
Specifically on lithium, the Health and Safety Executive has published a Technical Report on the mandatory classification of three lithium substances (lithium carbonate, lithium chloride and lithium hydroxide) which identified additional information which requires further consideration and assessment before a Ministerial decision is made on the mandatory classification and labelling of these lithium substances in Great Britain.
To strengthen the UK’s domestic lithium industry, UK Infrastructure Bank recently invested approximately £24 million to support the mineral exploration company Cornish Lithium in St Ives.
Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to protect UK businesses from potentially being locked out of new markets created by the Inflation Reduction Act in the absence of a free trade agreement with the United States of America.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have been working with the U.S. on the Inflation Reduction Act including through negotiations on a Critical Minerals Agreement.
UK firms are already part of U.S. supply chains, and we are a net exporter of raw materials for batteries to the U.S. This agreement will support UK based firms to continue to supply the large U.S. market for these materials.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has to promote economic cooperation between the UK and Namibia.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
Namibia will be one of 25 selected African countries attending the UK-African Investment Summit in April 2024, a high-level event promoting UK-African partnerships in trade and investment, finance, technology, clean energy, food security, critical minerals and women's entrepreneurship. There will be a particular focus on the UK's distinctive role in supporting the economic capabilities of the future (e.g. financial sectors; renewable energy) in African countries. The summit will provide an opportunity to enhance economic cooperation, with particular interest in Namibia's strong and progressive ambitions in the green hydrogen industry, which has strong potential to attract UK investment, fitting the UK's leadership in the renewable energy sector.
Asked by: Baroness Redfern (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential of extracting valuable secondary materials from scrap steel.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra has not made a formal assessment of the potential of extracting valuable secondary materials from scrap steel.
Through the critical minerals strategy, the Government is committed to accelerating the UK’s domestic capabilities and developing a more efficient circular economy for critical minerals in the UK.
The flagship, four-year, £30m National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research Programme (NICER) is targeting funding to support innovation in advanced metal sorting techniques to promote a circular economy for metals.
Also, Innovate UK’s Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) programme is committing £15 million towards recycling critical minerals through R&D investments, skills and engagement with international partners.
Our forthcoming document “Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste” will also consider how best to prevent waste in several key economic sectors, including construction, and we are working with groups such as the Green Construction Board to realise those ambitions.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely timing of a free trade agreement with the USA.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The United States is not negotiating traditional FTAs with any country. On the 8th of June, the Prime Minister and the President announced a first-of-its-kind economic partnership. The Atlantic Declaration and accompanying Action Plan cover the full spectrum of our economic, technological, commercial and trade relations, and will explore ways to expand our bilateral trade, already worth £279 billion per year.
As part of the Declaration, we announced the immediate launch of negotiations on a Critical Minerals Agreement to ensure UK access to the US market for a strategically important sector of the UK economy and bolster vital supply chains.
Asked by: Jonathan Edwards (Independent - Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of potential effect on the government of China's decision to restrict export of critical minerals including gallium and germanium on the competitiveness of the UK economy and the transition to net zero.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Gallium and germanium have a range of applications in electronics and communications sectors. The new Chinese export controls applying to germanium, gallium and related items coming into effect on 1st August this year may have impacts on the global supply chains for these sectors. Along with international counterparts, we are following the situation closely and are assessing risks this poses to the UK.
Asked by: Richard Thomson (Scottish National Party - Gordon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she plans to hold discussions with her European Union counterparts on cooperation between the EU and the UK for critical raw mineral supply chains under the European Critical Raw Materials Act.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act is seeking to increase the diversity, resilience and sustainability of critical minerals supply chains, in line with the aims of the UK’s own Critical Minerals Strategy published last year. We are assessing the implications of the Critical Raw Materials Act to ensure UK businesses are not disadvantaged. The UK has strong industrial capabilities and deep expertise in critical minerals and mining, and is a global centre of mining finance. We are working with the EU and likeminded partners on our common goals, for example through the Minerals Security Partnership, International Energy Agency and G7.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they still intend to make a free trade agreement with the United States as envisaged in the Conservative Party Manifesto of 2019.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The United States is not negotiating traditional FTAs with any country. On the 8th of June, the Prime Minister and the President announced a first-of-its-kind economic partnership. The Atlantic Declaration and accompanying Action Plan cover the full spectrum of our economic, technological, commercial and trade relations, and will explore ways to expand our bilateral trade, already worth £279 billion per year.
As part of the Declaration, we announced the immediate launch of negotiations on a Critical Minerals Agreement which will guarantee market access for a strategically important sector of the UK economy and bolster vital supply chains.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to agree a critical raw materials agreement with the European Union.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK is engaging with the EU and Member States to explore ways of working together to meet shared net zero and supply chain security objectives on critical raw materials. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, visited Brussels on 27 June where he met European Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis. The Chancellor and Commissioner Dombrovskis discussed future cooperation in strengthening pan-European supply and value chains and enhancing supply chain security, including critical minerals.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the European Critical Raw Materials Act on the security of the UK's supply of critical raw minerals.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The UK welcomes the publication of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act as an important step for EU Member States to increase the diversity, security, and sustainability of these essential supply chains. It is in our collective interests to ensure that supplies of critical minerals are not geographically concentrated and that the overall supply of critical minerals is robust and able to meet demands. We are considering the implications of the Act for UK industries and how the UK might work with our European partners.
In March, we published a Critical Minerals Refresh which sets out our approach to promoting resilience in the UK’s critical minerals supply chains.