Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the 2018 Automotive Sector Deal, what steps her Department is taking to (a) allocate and (b) facilitate funding for research and infrastructure for (i) connected and (ii) autonomous vehicles; and if will she make a statement.

The Government has a long-standing programme of support to maintain the competitiveness of the UK automotive sector. Through the Automotive Sector Deal, we are working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of the next generation of new automotive vehicles and technologies. For example, together we have committed £1 billion through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) until 2023.

As part of the Sector Deal, we are also investing over £200 million, match-funded by industry, to accelerate the safe development and deployment of connected and automated vehicle technologies and anchor them in the UK. This funding supports more than 90 collaborative research and development projects involving over 200 organisations. It is also creating a world-leading ecosystem of controlled and real-world test sites stretching from the West Midlands to London, coordinated by Zenzic.