Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the paper by the Critical Minerals Association entitled Midstream Processing and Refining: Unlocking Security of Supply, published on 13 March 2023, whether she plans to take steps to (a) map and (b) evaluate where critical mineral resources could be located in historical waste from (i) coal mining and (ii) steel mill flue dust.

The Government is taking a wide variety of steps to secure the supply of critical minerals for UK businesses, as set out in the recent Critical Minerals Refresh. The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, which is in its second year, will be undertaking a study into the opportunities and challenges of extracting critical minerals from legacy mines, mine waste and other waste streams, and will engage stakeholders in the process.