Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what mechanisms are in place to ensure alignment between the Department for Business and Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on critical minerals.

His Majesty's Government recognises the strategic importance of strengthening the UK's critical minerals security. The Critical Minerals Strategy, published on 22 November 2025, sets out a cross-government approach involving the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the Ministry of Defence and other partners. Ministers and officials already work closely together through established governance structures to ensure policy alignment and effective coordination. We continually review whether these arrangements remain proportionate and effective. At present, we believe the existing cross government ministerial oversight provides the appropriate mechanism for coordinating critical mineral security policy.