Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to publish advice to local authorities on delaying billing of business rates until after a sustained period of trading has occurred.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The terms of business rates reliefs for 2021-22 were set out by the Chancellor at the Budget. Business rates billing is a matter for local authorities. They are best placed to make judgements about how best to pursue liabilities. If a ratepayer is experiencing difficulties in paying their bill, they should contact their local authority as soon as possible.
In addition to business rates measures, the Government has provided a package of support grants for businesses. Including the new Restart Grant scheme available from April, the Government will have provided a total of £25 billion to business grants throughout the course of the pandemic.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance will be provided to hospitality businesses on how to access full business rates relief under the allowance where they trade across different local authority areas.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
Following the commitment made by the Chancellor at the Budget to extend the expanded retail discount into 2021-22, my Department published guidance on 4 March to help authorities implement their local schemes.
The guidance sets out how the eligibility criteria and cash cap (which applies from 1 July) operates and how authorities should determine the award of relief. Local authorities are responsible for implementing the discount having regard to the guidance. Any ratepayer who considers that they should have been eligible for relief that has been withheld should contact the relevant local authority.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2021 to Question 160719 on Minerals: Procurement, what the agreed actions to mitigate risks of potential disruption to the UK's critical minerals supply chains are.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government’s approach to supply chain resilience emphasises the importance of free, fair, and open trade, and our approach to securing the UK’s critical minerals supply chains reflects this. This includes actions to diversify our global sources of critical raw materials; to engage international partners; and to identify long-term opportunities to strengthen and protect UK supply.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the scope of the Global Travel Taskforce’s report due to be published on 12 April 2021 on the reopening of international travel will include the cruise sector; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
The successor to the Global Travel Taskforce report will consider a safe and sustainable return to international travel. It will include the cruise sector and will determine the timelines for international cruise restart.
The report’s recommendations will be aimed at facilitating a return to international travel as soon as is possible, while still managing risk from imported cases and variants of concern. The Taskforce will report on 12 April to the Prime Minister and will work with UK representatives of the travel sector, including cruise operators and trade associations. Following that, the Government will determine when international travel should resume, which will be no earlier than 17 May.
I am in regular contact with the cruise sector and will engage with them once timelines have been determined.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to develop a critical mineral circular economy industry in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In line with our Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December 2018, we are taking steps to move from a linear economy to a more circular economy. This includes by seeking new legislative powers under the landmark Environment Bill that will enable us to: drive design for durability, reparability and recyclability of products such as electronics; require provision of information on products such as material content, including Critical Raw Materials (CRMs); and put in place extended producer responsibility schemes. We are also working with BEIS to utilise our repatriated EU powers to introduce eco-design measures relating to energy-using products. Our planned review of, and subsequent consultation on, the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Regulations, and the Batteries Regulations, will also provide an opportunity for consideration of the management of critical minerals. At this stage there are no plans to use the powers in the Environment Bill, or other powers, to set specific recycling targets for critical minerals.
In addition, in November 2020 we announced 5 new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centres as part of £30 million of Government investment. Two of these relate to CRMs and metals – the UKRI Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Centre for Technology Metals, and the UKRI Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metal. These will explore how reusing waste materials could deliver environmental benefits and boost the UK economy.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the critical minerals the UK will require to (a) power every house via wind turbines by 2030, (b) ensure all cars sold in the UK are electric by 2035 and (c) develop industrial rare earth magnets in the UK.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK’s world-leading offshore wind industry provides a critical source of renewable energy for our growing economy. As set out in my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s 10 Point Plan for a Green Industrial revolution we will quadruple our offshore wind capacity by 2030 to further decarbonise our electricity to power our homes and businesses, and create high-quality green jobs by investing in our ports and coastal regions. Critical minerals will be important in developing offshore wind and coordinated work is taking place across Whitehall departments to ensure there continues to be a secure, long-term supply chain.
The Advanced Propulsion Centre has published analysis identifying opportunities for UK suppliers from the electrification of passenger vehicles over the coming 5 years (https://www.apcuk.co.uk/app/uploads/2020/06/APC-Passenger-car-electrification-report-online-v1.pdf, June 2020).
Our priority is to ensure that the UK continues to enjoy the benefits from our transition to ultra low and zero emission vehicles by continuing to build an agile, innovative and cost-competitive supply chain. With that in mind, we remain committed to securing UK battery manufacturing. As part of the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan, we have already announced £500 million to support the electrification of vehicles and their supply chains, and other strategically important technologies, through the Automotive Transformation Fund over the next four years. We continue to work with investors through the Automotive Transformation Fund, and to progress plans for manufacturing the batteries that we will need for the next generation of electric vehicles here in the UK.
The Government’s Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge is investing £80 million in electrification technologies including power electronics, electric machines and drives (PEMD), providing support for innovation and targeted investment to support development. This includes projects relating to the recovery and recycling of rare earth elements, and activities to facilitate the development of rare earth magnet supply chains in the UK.
BEIS is also supporting innovation in this area, and for example is providing innovation support to Greenspur, a company based in Hertfordshire, to trial a new type of magnet – which does not use rare earth minerals - at the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to improve domestic critical minerals supply, with specific regard to (a) mineral rights and (b) planning applications.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is supporting opportunities to secure the domestic extraction of critical materials, such as lithium. For example, we are supporting Cornish Lithium and Geothermal Engineering, who are collaborating to build a zero-carbon lithium extraction pilot plant at an existing site in Cornwall.
The UK is also playing a crucial role in ensuring that strong environmental standards are upheld in the growing deep sea mining industry, to ensure that the International Seabed Authority (ISA) regulatory regime effectively protects these ecosystems for years to come.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that it is essential that there is a sufficient supply of minerals to provide the infrastructure, buildings, energy and goods that the country needs. The NPPF states that mineral planning authorities should plan for a steady and adequate supply of industrial minerals, including by encouraging safeguarding or stockpiling so that important minerals remain available for use. The NPPF states that when determining planning applications, great weight should be given to the benefits of mineral extraction, including to the economy.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to attract critical mineral companies to (a) invest in UK businesses and (b) set up business in the UK.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Department for International Trade (DIT) and partners in other Departments are working together to identify and target critical minerals extractive, processing and refining companies to invest in the UK, with a focus on the critical raw materials required to deliver Industrial Strategy objectives. Our Foreign Direct Investment strategy is similarly focused on securing investment in the extraction and, crucially, processing of these commodities. This includes support for the development of indigenous resources, such as lithium in Cornwall, through our Mining High Potential Opportunity programme, along with driving processing capacity.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the UK’s global and regional competitiveness in relation to critical minerals supply chains.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Department has assessed the risks of potential disruption to the UK’s critical minerals supply chains and agreed actions to mitigate these risks and make our supply chains better able to withstand future shocks.
Asked by: Steve Double (Conservative - St Austell and Newquay)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which international counterparts she is in discussions with on critical mineral supply chains.
Answered by Graham Stuart
My Department is in regular discussions regarding critical mineral supply chains with a range of trading partners including Five Eyes allies. DIT and the Cabinet Office recently hosted an international conference to facilitate technical discussions with officials and experts on the global challenges surrounding critical mineral mining.