Asked by: George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 3.68 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, what steps he plans to take to monitor the potential impact of the £20.4 billion R&D investment on economic and R&D business growth; and how much of that funding he plans to allocate to each (a) sector and (b) research and innovation cluster.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
R&D is fundamental to achieving the government’s mission of kickstarting economic growth. DSIT regularly monitors economic and R&D business growth indicators and requires monitoring and evaluation to be undertaken as a condition of its funding. At the Autumn Budget, DSIT was allocated £13.9bn for R&D in 2025/26. The Secretary of State will announce further details of how this funding will be allocated in due course.
Asked by: George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans he has for future (a) funding of and (b) data sharing by the Earth observation data hub.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Earth Observation (EO) data hub project is a pathfinder project which will assess whether a new infrastructure for EO data could deliver better access to and exploitation of EO data by federating EO data assets from public and commercial centres in a quality-assured environment and by creating a platform for analysis and value add.
The project was funded through the Earth observation investment package until 31st March 2025.
Decisions on any longer-term funding for EO data infrastructure will be made in due course.
Asked by: George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans he has as chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites to support development of methane emissions measurement best practices.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK Space Agency is increasing engagement with private, academic and public sectors to improve methane monitoring and address gaps.
As Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, we will promote a new framework, developed by the National Physical Laboratory and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to validate data providers' products to ensure reliability. It will provide new best practice for measuring from space facility-scale methane emissions.
The UK Space Agency will promote the framework internationally, collaborating with other nations and industry to ensure these best practices are recognised as an approved measurement methodology within the Global Methane Pledge.
Asked by: George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans he has for the UK Space Agency's methane monitoring programme.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK Space Agency is increasing engagement with private, academic and public sectors to improve methane monitoring and address gaps.
As Chair of the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites, we will promote a new framework, developed by the National Physical Laboratory and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, to validate data providers' products to ensure reliability. It will provide new best practice for measuring from space facility-scale methane emissions.
The UK Space Agency will promote the framework internationally, collaborating with other nations and industry to ensure these best practices are recognised as an approved measurement methodology within the Global Methane Pledge.
Asked by: George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans he has for the future of the Geospatial Commission's Earth observation data pilot.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Earth Observation data pilot came to an end in 31 March 2024. Working with optical, thermal and SAR data from space satellites, the pilot demonstrated that increased use of this data could improve evidence-based analysis and enhance front-line delivery in the public sector to support the provision of digital government services for citizens. The work will inform decisions on the procurement, accessibility and use of earth observation across the public sector.
Asked by: George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to continue investment in national space data activities.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Yes. The Government is investing significantly to support this element of space activity in the UK, with over £310 million of funding already committed through the European Space Agency, and a further £390 million through our membership in the EU’s Copernicus programme over the coming 3 years. Further investment decisions are a matter for the upcoming spending review.
Asked by: George Freeman (Conservative - Mid Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to measure the private sector investment in the research and development economy by (a) sector, (b) cluster and (c) departmental spend.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Office for National Statistics routinely publishes official statistics on Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD), Business Expenditure on R&D (BERD), and Research and development expenditure by the UK government. These publications include various levels of breakdowns, including by sector and government department.
The Innovation Clusters Map published by DSIT in 2024 presents firm-level innovation activity across the UK, including public and private investment, allowing users to explore clusters to better understand the UK’s innovation ecosystem.