Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Domestic Battery Development

Thursday 10 June 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Steve McCabe asked about including provisions to support domestic battery development in future trade deals.
  • The Minister acknowledged the importance of domestic battery development and manufacturing, and the need to engage with business to ensure free trade agreements meet industry needs.
  • The Minister emphasized the need for resilient supply chains for battery production materials, indicating talks with global partners to secure investment in battery cell production.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Steve McCabe Lab
Business & Trade
Context

None provided.

Question

If she will include provisions to support domestic battery development in future trade deals.

Answer from Ranil Jayawardena

We recognise the importance of domestic battery development and manufacturing, which is why we have engaged with business to understand its needs and ensure that our free trade agreements deliver. That includes negotiating rules of origin that consider the transition to electric vehicles and enable British manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan to access global markets.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific provisions or commitments for supporting domestic battery development in future trade deals.

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Q2 Steve McCabe Lab
Climate Business & Trade
Context

The future of the car industry in the west midlands depends on battery production and securing a gigafactory, which requires access to critical materials such as cobalt, lithium, and manganese.

Question

Happy birthday, Mr Speaker. As the Minister acknowledges, the future of our car industry in the west midlands is dependent on battery production and the Government giving the go-ahead for a gigafactory, but battery production requires ready access to materials such as cobalt, lithium and manganese. Will he tell us which countries he is talking to about trade deals that would secure these supplies?

Answer from Ranil Jayawardena

We are talking to friends around the world to make sure that our supply chains are more resilient than ever before. That is a clear lesson from our coronavirus situation, where we have seen that we should not be too reliant on any one country. We have prioritised securing investment in battery cell gigafactories, to which the hon. Member refers. I am delighted that he is supporting our agenda, which we believe is key to anchoring the mass manufacture of electric vehicles in Britain, safeguarding jobs and driving emissions to net zero by 2050.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific countries or trade deals for securing critical materials.

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