It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. I will correspond directly with the noble Lord.

Government recognises copper’s importance, which is why DBT designated copper a growth mineral in the Critical Minerals (CM) Strategy and funded a study by the CM Intelligence Centre assessing copper scrap and waste flows, to help inform circularity in the UK.

This government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are in use for longer and waste is designed out. Defra will soon publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan setting out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. We will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate interventions needed.

On 9 June 2025, the Government made legislation to reintroduce onshore wind into the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime. Government has concluded that low carbon infrastructure entering the NSIP regime, including renewables such as onshore wind, should be deemed as critical national priority infrastructure. Security arrangements for onshore wind farms are a matter for individual developers.

The Department has not investigated the condition of copper telecommunications cabling in rural areas. However, we are aware that the overall condition of the copper networks is aging and deteriorating: the number of major incidents on the copper-based PSTN has been rising, with a 45% increase in 2024 compared to the previous year. Between April 2024 and March 2025, there were over 2,600 major incidents on the PSTN, each affecting 500 or more customers. The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

The value and tonnage of scrap steel and copper exported from the UK in 2024 is as follows:

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is responsible for the collection and publication of data on imports and exports of goods to and from the UK. HMRC releases this information monthly, as an accredited official statistic called the Overseas Trade in Goods Statistics (OTS), which is available via their dedicated website (www.uktradeinfo.com). From this website, it is possible to build your own data tables based upon bespoke search criteria.

The process in terms of what is on the list of critical minerals is independent, but I have a strong interest, as does my hon. Friend, in ensuring that we produce as many critical minerals here as we can and that the supply chains around the world are working for us. I am looking at a critical minerals strategy, which will come forward in due course.

I declare an interest as a chair of the all-party parliamentary group for critical minerals. Domestic supplies of copper and, of course, Cornish tin are critical to the UK’s energy security. What consideration has the Minister given to ensuring that copper and tin are recognised as critical minerals?

The Department does not hold this information. Openreach’s annual review for 2023-24 provides some information for the largest wholesale broadband and network provider, though this does not reflect the market as a whole and does not provide regional breakdowns. This report estimates that delivering broadband across the UK involves more than 250 million kilometres of fibre optic cable and copper wire. This is available via: https://www.openreach.com/about/our-company/annual-review-and-reports

The Government hopes to see as much as possible of the copper network reused for other purposes. For example, the Government welcomes the recent commercial deal between BT Group and a recycling company to repurpose legacy copper cables that are being replaced by its new full fibre network. Copper is a valuable material and the Government expects the network providers to make the best use of it in line with their in-house policies, but does not plan to intervene in this emerging market.

The Secretary of State and Head of Mission Control wrote to the Electricity System Operator (ESO) on 23rd August to formally commission advice regarding the key requirements for the Government to meet its clean power commitment by 2030. This includes the transmission network.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66cda5c1e39a8536eac0532e/sos-chris-stark-letter-clean-power-2030.pdf

More detail will be provided in the autumn.

Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.

The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.

Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.

The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.

Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.

The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.

Significant infrastructure investment is required to meet the Government’s mission for clean power by 2030 and accelerate to net zero. The equipment, such as cables and transformers, to enable transformation of the grid will be reliant on copper and its associated supply chain. We also recognise the vital role of copper in making wind power possible.

The Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre, sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade and delivered by the British Geological Survey, is undertaking studies to forecast the UK’s demand for critical minerals including copper in our clean energy technologies and energy infrastructure. They will be published later this year.

Minerals are classed as ‘critical’ if they are both vitally important to the economy and experiencing major risks to their security of supply. We recognise the importance of copper in the energy transition and continue to assess the UK’s needs for the evolving electrical grid and associated technologies.

Project Gigabit is the Government’s flagship £5 billion programme to enable hard-to-reach communities, left out of commercial delivery plans, to access lightning-fast gigabit-capable broadband.

We expect most premises which require a Government subsidy through Project Gigabit to be in rural areas. However, to achieve our mission of nationwide coverage, which we expect to be at least 99% of premises having access to a gigabit capable connection, we are aware that there are pockets of more urban areas that are left out of commercial plans. Work is ongoing to identify an appropriate course of action for these premises. The solution here may involve working with suppliers to help remove barriers to commercial delivery rather than using public subsidy.

We have already amended building regulations so that new homes are future-proofed with gigabit connectivity; and where this is not available within a per-home cost cap, with gigabit-ready infrastructure to facilitate a gigabit-capable connection when this becomes available.

Alongside government intervention, the telecoms industry is leading on upgrading the UK’s landline network from the analogue Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), delivered over copper wires, to more reliable and future proofed services delivered over digital landlines, also referred to as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). These services will predominantly rely on fibreoptic cables for their infrastructure. Government is monitoring this switch-off closely, to ensure that vulnerable consumers are protected.

Ofcom will monitor the withdrawal of copper services. Ofcom has set out high-level conditions for how the gradual deregulation of BT Group’s copper-based network will function.

Ofcom will consider the process which will trigger the complete deregulation of the copper network in the next regulatory review period, which will commence in 2026.

The withdrawal of analogue landlines, also known as the PSTN migration, is a separate process to the complete replacement of the copper network. DSIT meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss their plans for migrating their customers to digital landlines, and to ensure they have adequate processes in place to protect vulnerable consumers.

On 14 December, the DSIT Secretary of State convened a meeting with the UK’s leading telecoms providers, including Sky, BT, VMO2 and TalkTalk, to discuss urgent steps to protect vulnerable households when upgrading phone lines to a digital network. In response, the major telecoms providers have now signed a Charter committing to concrete measures to protect vulnerable households, particularly those using telecare alarms. The move represents a positive step by the telecoms industry to make sure safety continues to be at the heart of the nationwide switchover. The Charter can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-switched-telephone-network-charter

Furthermore, DSIT meets regularly with Ofcom to ensure that industry adheres to its regulatory obligations throughout the migration process. In addition, we are working with telecare providers, Local Authorities, and Other Government Departments to take further steps to ensure the migration is a success. We also regularly engage with mobile operators on a variety of issues including the PSTN migration.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 18th December to Question 6770