Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic output of downstream manufacturing industries that are reliant on essential chemical precursors where the UK has no or limited manufacturing capability, including ammonia, ethanol, methanol, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, sulphuric acid, siloxane, acrylonitrile, methacrylate, hexamethylene and titanium dioxide.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.

Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.

The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support or increase domestic production capacity of essential chemical precursors where the UK has no or limited manufacturing capability, including ammonia, ethanol, methanol, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, sulphuric acid, siloxane, acrylonitrile, methacrylate, hexamethylene and titanium dioxide.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.

Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.

The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to develop a strategic chemicals resilience programme to reduce reliance on foreign producers of critical primary building blocks and intermediates that support manufacturing activities in the UK.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.

Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.

The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's resilience in the supply of primary chemical building blocks such as ethylene, propylene, methanol, ammonia and titanium dioxide for clean energy applications.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government recognises the criticality of chemicals, given that the sector underpins almost all other manufacturing. The chemicals sector was identified as a key foundational industry within our modern Industrial Strategy which will implement targeted policy interventions to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth.

Government regularly engages with industry to monitor vital supply chains, including on chemicals. This includes regular engagement with the sector to identify areas which could improve the resilience of our supply or mitigate disruption.

The government announced its intention to set up a Supply Chain Centre as part of the Trade and Industrial Strategies. The Centre is already operational, marking a step change in government’s approach to protecting the UK’s economy and security in turbulent geopolitical times utilising a data-led approach.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to UK defence capability arising from (1) limited UK production of key chemical precursors and intermediate substances such as sulphuric acid, acrylonitrile, siloxane and methacrylates, and (2) supply chain disruption of those products as a result of the Iran conflict.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy prioritises building a more resilient UK industrial base. This includes strengthening critical supply chains that underpin defence, to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and to keep the UK safe and secure.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks by better understanding our dependencies on a range of critical raw materials, including chemicals, used in the manufacturing of equipment for our Armed Forces.

We monitor threats to critical pinch points in our supply chains, including the potential impact of the Iran war, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene.

MOD is actively engaged in the cross-government response to the Iran conflict and is continually assessing the potential impact on defence supply chains, particularly around fuel price increases and shipping disruption. Currently, the MOD assesses there has been no significant impact on the ability of the UK to manufacture defence equipment, but this will be kept under close review if the conflict continues.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's capability to manufacture defence equipment such as ballistic protection, battlefield electronics and military aviation in the light of disruption to the acrylonitrile and high performance carbon fibre supply chain caused by the Iran conflict.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy prioritises building a more resilient UK industrial base. This includes strengthening critical supply chains that underpin defence, to ensure the delivery of critical defence outputs and to keep the UK safe and secure.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is actively engaged in de-risking critical defence supply chain vulnerabilities, working collaboratively with industry and our international partners to mitigate risks by better understanding our dependencies on a range of critical raw materials, including chemicals, used in the manufacturing of equipment for our Armed Forces.

We monitor threats to critical pinch points in our supply chains, including the potential impact of the Iran war, to enable us to make informed decisions around how and if to intervene.

MOD is actively engaged in the cross-government response to the Iran conflict and is continually assessing the potential impact on defence supply chains, particularly around fuel price increases and shipping disruption. Currently, the MOD assesses there has been no significant impact on the ability of the UK to manufacture defence equipment, but this will be kept under close review if the conflict continues.