Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the expected (a) timescale, (b) operating budget and (c) scale of the proposed National Semiconductor Institute are.

This government recognises the strategic importance of semiconductors as a critical technology for the future of the UK and a significant enabler of the government’s growth and clean energy missions. The Department recognises a number of challenges to growth of the UK semiconductor sector, including industry fragmentation and a lack of long-term innovation strategy. We are currently reviewing a range of options to address this, including a national semiconductor body that can bring together the industry and unlock growth in the sector. We will announce further details in due course.