Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress has been made by the Aerospace Growth Partnership Manufacturing Working Group on introducing a Manufacturing Accelerator Programme; and if he will make a statement.

The Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) update published in July 2014 set out some of the steps being taken to maintain the UK’s competitive position through enhancements in supply chain competitiveness and manufacturing capability.

The Manufacturing Accelerator Programme (MAP) is one element of the work in the AGP to support this. The MAP proposal is being developed as part of the engagement between Government, industry and academia who are all represented at the AGP Manufacturing Working Group. As part of this effort we have already announced significant investments in expanding the capacity for aerospace projects within the High Value Manufacturing Catapult as well as further funding within the ATI programme for extensions to the SAMULET programme (Strategic Affordable Manufacturing in the UK through Leading Environmental Technologies) and other projects focussing on manufacturing.

These activities link with the work being carried out to support supply chain companies in the Sharing in Growth Programme as well as the National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme. As these programmes develop we are jointly reviewing the next steps within the Manufacturing Working Group and will be looking at the MAP as part of this.