Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on potential steps to help ensure greater co-operation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo on (a) the critical minerals supply chain, (b) the carbon credit market, (c) agriculture, (d) energy and (f) infrastructure projects.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is scaling up its efforts to support Democratic Republic of Congo to safeguard its environment and adopt a low carbon development path. At COP27, the Prime Minister announced a new £90 million programme to support forests and forest livelihoods in the Congo Basin, maintaining the momentum achieved at COP26 where Congo basin forests were in the spotlight. Illicit mining in eastern DRC has historically provided financial support for a range of armed groups. To this end, the UK supports initiatives such as the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human rights in DRC, which aim to address security related human rights abuses in the mining sector.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has provided recent funding for research into the recycling of rare earth elements.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government is deploying public R&D funding to promote recycling, reuse, resource efficiency and substitution of critical minerals (including rare earth elements), for example via the £30 million National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme. Last month, UK Research and Innovation launched the Circular Critical Materials Supply Chains (CLIMATES) fund, with an initial £15 million to focus on making the UK’s rare earth element supply chains more resilient and boosting the circular economy. This will support innovations in supply chains and recycling, as well as engagement with international partners and support for future skills.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
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 increase the supply of critical minerals.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In July 2022, the Government published its first ever Critical Minerals Strategy, setting out its plans for improving the resilience of critical mineral supply chains. The strategy outlines how the Government will accelerate the UK’s domestic capabilities, collaborate with international partners and enhance international markets. The Government is shortly planning to publish a refreshed approach to the Critical Minerals Strategy to reinforce the 2022 Strategy, highlight delivery progress to date, and set out upcoming delivery milestones.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will hold discussions with representatives of businesses in the supply chains for the manufacture of electric vehicles on the proportion of their raw materials that come from recycled critical minerals.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We are committed to supporting the development of an internationally competitive supply chain in the UK through mechanisms such as the Automotive Transformation Fund.
The Government routinely consults with stakeholders on matters relevant to the industry, including via the Automotive Council.
In July 2022, the Government published the UK’s first ever Critical Minerals Strategy that aims to improve the security of supply of critical minerals.
As part of the commitment to improve critical mineral supply chain resilience, the Government will explore regulatory interventions to promote re-use, recycling, and recovery of critical minerals.
Asked by: Angus Brendan MacNeil (Independent - Na h-Eileanan an Iar)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January to Question 122084 on Electric Vehicles: Copper, what estimate he has made of how many tonnes of copper will be required for (a) additional cabling, (b) vehicles, (c) turbines and (d) electrical generation components by 2040.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government does not hold information on the amount of copper required by 2040, however it is working closely with industry to ensure robust supply chains to meet its net zero commitments.
In 2022, the Department commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the UK’s first criticality assessment. 18 minerals – assessed as having the highest supply risk and highest economic importance – were defined as “critical”. Many other minerals, such as copper, have important uses but have not been classed as critical in this context.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
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.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
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.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the publication of the Critical Mineral Strategy, what steps is his Department taking to engage with mineral-rich countries.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
We work collaboratively with mineral producing countries, putting environmental, social and governance considerations at the heart of our engagement. In recent months the UK has signed a Partnership on Minerals for Future Clean Energy Technologies with South Africa and agreed to deepen collaboration on critical minerals with Saudi Arabia. To support this work, I will be travelling to the Mining Indaba in South Africa, where I will meet with my ministerial counterparts to strengthen UK ties with key producer countries, attend the Minerals Security Partnership Ministerial, and promote the UK’s key role in global critical mineral supply chains
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical minerals for the UK economy; and whether such a plan will be published.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In July 2022, the Government published its first ever Critical Minerals Strategy, setting out our approach to improving the resilience of critical mineral supply chains. It will safeguard UK industry, support the energy transition and protect our national security. The strategy sets out how the Government will accelerate our domestic capabilities, collaborate with international partners and enhance international markets. The Government are planning to publish a Critical Minerals Refresh in Spring 2023 to reinforce the strategy, highlight its progress, and set out upcoming delivery milestones.
Asked by: Lord Wasserman (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of the UK's supply of critical minerals in the next 10 years that will be met by recycling.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Critical Minerals Strategy seeks to promote a circular economy of critical minerals in the UK. Recycling rates vary significantly for different minerals. In the case of minerals for electrical vehicle batteries, end-of-life recycling is expected to provide less than 1% of UK demand in 2030. The opportunity improves by 2040: recycling is expected to account for 10-20% of battery mineral demand for electrical vehicles.
To promote recycling and recovery, the Government is funding the £30 million National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) Programme, including a centre on technology metals. Defra expects to consult on regulations for electrical waste in 2023 and subsequently for end-of-life batteries.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reason copper is not included on the UK Critical Minerals List 2021.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
In 2022, BEIS commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the UK’s first criticality assessment. 18 minerals – assessed as having the highest supply risk and highest economic importance – were defined as “critical”. Many other minerals, such as copper, have important uses but, by necessity of focus, only some are defined as “critical”. Supply chain risks can be caused by – for example – rapid demand growth, concentrated supply chains in particular countries or highly volatile prices. Criticality changes over time. The assessment will be reviewed regularly through the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre. The next review is expected later this year.