Oral Answers to Questions

Justin Tomlinson Excerpts

Tuesday 14th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Jesse Norman]

I am not sure that anyone can recover from the attribution of being “cerebral.”

The way in which the Oil and Gas Authority has lowered costs on the UKCS is testimony to how competitive our economy can be in oil and gas, even when oil prices are falling.

[Justin Tomlinson (North Swindon) (Con)]

5. What steps he is taking to support growth in the UK space sector.

[The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Greg Clark)]

The UK’s space sector is world leading. A quarter of the world’s telecommunication satellites are either built here or are built with key UK components. Our recently announced draft Spaceflight Bill will enable UK businesses to enter a global market worth an expected £25 billion over the next 20 years. Our industrial strategy will ensure that we build on that and continue to be a global leader in this very important sector.

[Justin Tomlinson]

Many people think that my constituency, North Swindon, is out of this world, and they are not wrong, as we are home to the UK Space Agency. Will the Secretary of State therefore tell me how the upcoming Spaceflight Bill will enable the UK to build on its strengths in science, research and innovation?

[Greg Clark]

North Swindon has a stellar Member of Parliament, too. The space sector is one of our most important industries, and the Spaceflight Bill, in particular, will move us forwards and enable us to be in the business not only of manufacturing satellites but of launching them, which will give us further industrial opportunities from which not only Swindon but the whole UK can benefit.