First Report - A rock and a hard place: building critical mineral resilience
- HC No.
- HC 371
- Published
- 15 Dec 2023
- Items
- 0
- Government response
- Government response published 8 March 2024 (deadline 15 February 2024). Read the government's response ↗
Select committee: Foreign Affairs Committee
Critical minerals
Closed
Opened 19 Dec 2022
Closed 26 Apr 2024
Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
This inquiry will consider how the UK can engage with global partners to diversify supply chains in a way that respects human rights and ensures adequate access to critical minerals. The Committee will look at ways in which the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) can leverage diplomatic ties and build strong alliances for global regulation of the critical minerals market. The inquiry will also ask how the FCDO can ensure UK access to the critical minerals market, while also promoting UK values through improved environmental, social and governance performance in critical mineral mining and processing. The Committee will also examine how intelligence can help build a better picture of geopolitical threats that may affect supply chains. Read the call for evidence for more details about the inquiry
Where it stands
The inquiry is closed, opened 19 December 2022.
The committee has published 1 report, most recently First Report - A rock and a hard place: building critical mineral resilience on 15 December 2023.
The government's response
Published 8 March 2024. The deadline was 15 February 2024.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report, saying it has "indicated where we agree with the Committee and where our views differ", and it disagrees with several conclusions while agreeing with others.
- It disagrees that it has failed to show urgency or to assess vulnerabilities before the Strategy, pointing to the Strategy and its Refresh and to work on critical minerals "for over a decade".
- It agrees that critical minerals are strategically significant and that high ESG standards should sit at the heart of its international engagement.
- It partially agrees on the Strategy's scope and detail, and commits that the Department for Business and Trade "will be publishing a further update on implementation progress during 2024".
- On specific sector targets, it disagrees, but says it is "considering" the Task and Finish Group's findings and "will set out its response to that report in Spring 2024".
Reports
All reportsEvidence
- 3 oral evidence sessionsLatest 13 June 2023
- 14 witnesses
Recent activity
- Third Special Report - A rock and a hard place: building critical mineral resilience: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report8 March 2024, Report published
- First Report - A rock and a hard place: building critical mineral resilience15 December 2023, Report published
- Correspondence from the Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific following up on the FAC oral evidence session on 13 June, dated 04/07/202319 July 2023, Correspondence
Reports
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Jun 2023 |
Foreign Affairs Committee
Dr Marina Caparini · United Nations University,
Fiona Clouder,
Paul Atherley · Pensana Plc,
Professor Paul Monks · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero,
Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office,
Tim Stern · Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
|
View ↗ |
| 18 Apr 2023 |
Foreign Affairs Committee
Aidan Davy · International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM),
Christopher Heron · Eurometaux (European Metals Association),
Duncan Wood · Wilson Center,
James Black · RAND Europe
|
View ↗ |
| 21 Mar 2023 |
Foreign Affairs Committee
Christopher Vandome · Chatham House,
Guillaume Pitron,
Henry Sanderson,
Jeff Townsend · Critical Minerals Association
|
View ↗ |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Aidan Davy · Chief Operating Officer | International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) | 1 |
| Christopher Heron · Director for Communication & Public Affairs | Eurometaux (European Metals Association) | 1 |
| Christopher Vandome · Senior Research Fellow, Africa Programme | Chatham House | 1 |
| Dr Marina Caparini · Senior Researcher, Centre for Policy Research | United Nations University | 1 |
| Duncan Wood · Vice President for Strategy & New Initiatives | Wilson Center | 1 |
| Fiona Clouder | Not recorded | 1 |
| Guillaume Pitron | Not recorded | 1 |
| Henry Sanderson | Not recorded | 1 |
| James Black · Assistant Director, Defence and Security | RAND Europe | 1 |
| Jeff Townsend · Founder | Critical Minerals Association | 1 |
| Paul Atherley · Chairman | Pensana Plc | 1 |
| Professor Paul Monks · Chief Scientific Adviser | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero | 1 |
| Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan · Minister of State (Indo-Pacific) | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 1 |
| Tim Stern · International Energy Director | Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Jul 2023 | Not recorded | Correspondence from the Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific following up on the FAC oral evidence session on 13 June, dated 04/07/2023 |