Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of high-skilled jobs in sectors reliant on research and innovation in Bradford and West Yorkshire.

Our modern Industrial Strategy is a 10-year plan to back our strengths and create a highly skilled, economically prosperous country. Its key objectives are to drive up business investment and create high-quality jobs across the UK.

We are directing £9 billion in research and innovation funding to Industrial Strategy sectors, with £4.5 billion directed towards innovative businesses. Additionally, the West of Yorkshire Combined Authority will benefit from targeted interventions, including: at least £30 million from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, £2.1 billion Transport for City Regions funding, a strategic partnership with the National Wealth Fund and dedicated support from a British Business Bank Cluster Champion. Together, interventions like this are helping create the conditions to attract investment, support innovation and unlock opportunities for high-quality, high-skilled jobs.