Found: are encouraged by the government’s scaled up Office for Investment and its appointment of Baroness Gustafsson

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many days’ notice the House of Lords Appointments Commission was given to clear and undertake due diligence in relation to the appointment of Baroness Gustafsson of Chesterton.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The House of Lords Appointment Commission vets all nominations for life peerages to ensure the highest standards of propriety. The process for vetting nominations of those who are intended to serve as Ministers is the same as the process for all other nominations for life peerages.

While the Government does not comment on individual appointments, it is sometimes the case that the nomination and vetting process of ministerial appointments to the House of Lords is completed on an expedited timeline.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Gustafsson on 11 March (HL5279), whether they are meeting rural partners to discuss the industrial strategy; and if so, which rural partners they have met so far.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises that it is essential that the industrial Strategy is informed by the experiences of the individuals, businesses, and local communities it will support. To achieve this, we have been engaging widely across the UK, including with regional stakeholders such as Devolved Governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities, Pan-Regional Partnerships and Business Representation Organisations. Additionally, we have worked through our regionally based teams in England to engage with individual Local Authorities, key local businesses, and local networks and organisations in areas where our eight growth driving sectors are located. We are also considering over 3000 responses to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper Consultation, which has included representations from rural areas.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Gustafsson on 11 March (HL5279), which rural partners they are engaging with as they design the industrial strategy.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government recognises that it is essential that the industrial Strategy is informed by the experiences of the individuals, businesses, and local communities it will support. To achieve this, we have been engaging widely across the UK, including with regional stakeholders such as Devolved Governments, Mayoral Strategic Authorities, Pan-Regional Partnerships and Business Representation Organisations. Additionally, we have worked through our regionally based teams in England to engage with individual Local Authorities, key local businesses, and local networks and organisations in areas where our eight growth driving sectors are located. We are also considering over 3000 responses to the Industrial Strategy Green Paper Consultation, which has included representations from rural areas.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Gustafsson on 11 March (HL5279), whether "regional growth" mentioned in the Answer includes and accounts for sparsely populated areas or areas classified as predominantly rural.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Regional growth is a core objective of this Industrial Strategy, which will be ambitious and targeted. It will unleash the full potential of our cities and regions, by concentrating efforts on clusters and city-regions with the greatest potential for our growth-driving sectors.

Clusters often cut across local government boundaries, sitting both within and outside of major cities, including extending into in rural areas – particularly for growth-driving sectors which require access to suitable land, water and other natural resources.