Contributions
518 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI start by saying that if there are indeed any spelling or factual errors in the document, I offer my apologies to the House; that is clearly unacceptable, and I will ensure that…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyMeur ras to my hon. Friend. He has been such a strong champion of critical minerals, so it is a pleasure to hear from him today, and it is no wonder that we have, given that…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank the hon. Lady for her words on the strategy. Words are one thing, but implementation is another. This Government are now focused on how we implement the strategy and…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for the significant amount of work she has done and her engagement with me during the preparation of this strategy. She is right to highlight the…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank the right hon. Member for mentioning phosphates, which he is right are an incredibly important element for agriculture. As for securing supplies, I point him to the part…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for raising skills and for continually championing industry in Cornwall and skills with me for some time. The existing skills of the people of Cornwall are…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank the hon. Member for his comments and for pointing out the importance of Durham—sorry, Devon! Durham is slightly on my mind; it is my home county. I think we may come to…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyWe are determined to ensure that we exploit all the natural resources I mentioned that are available in the UK. The hon. Gentleman mentioned China’s strong grip on the processing…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyMy hon. Friend correctly points out the essential role of ceramic refractories in the production of any high temperature processes, including critical minerals. I would be very…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyMy hon. Friend asks from where the remaining 70% of the UK’s critical minerals will be sourced. Of course, for some of those critical minerals, the UK will be able to produce more…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI do not know about the right hon. Gentleman, but when I am setting objectives, I like them to be specific, measurable and achievable. We have worked carefully with industry on…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyClearly the strategy will help UK businesses to benefit, but in my hon. Friend’s constituency, Wolverhampton North East, Recyclus Group is already operating a state-of-the-art…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for his work on the all-party parliamentary group on critical minerals and for working with the Critical Minerals Association; their work in advance of this…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank my hon. Friend for his question and for his work as part of the ministerial team in the Department for Business and Trade prior to my appointment. On stockpiling, it is…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyThe hon. Member makes a good point in that, ultimately, the delivery of any modern industrial strategy is fully dependent on critical minerals. The sectors he mentioned, such as…24 Nov 2025HANSARD Critical Minerals StrategyI thank the right hon. Gentleman for giving me the opportunity to clarify one point. He has formed the impression from my words, and I apologise if I was not clear, that we would…24 Nov 2025HANSARDSpecialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional EconomiesI did hear the hon. Gentleman say that earlier, and he is right that I have a strong interest in Northern Ireland and a great deal of respect for our advanced manufacturing there.…19 Nov 2025HANSARDSpecialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional EconomiesThis comes back exactly to my point about regulation. Through our work with the EU, we are endeavouring to ensure that we have maximum access to the market. Where regulatory…19 Nov 2025HANSARDSpecialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional EconomiesI welcome those comments. The hon. Member is right to point out that skills is a cross-Government exercise, and that applies not only to defence skills colleges. Work is done…19 Nov 2025HANSARDSpecialist Manufacturing Sector: Regional EconomiesSmall business owners might be concerned, but I know from personal experience that with the right level of support, it is perfectly possible to manage a business with these…19 Nov 2025