Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on the potential merits of a new industrial strategy.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We are keen to ensure we build back better in a way that supports the whole economy and delivers for all parts of the UK. Our Plan for Growth sets out the opportunities we will seize across the UK to drive economic growth, create jobs and support British industry as we level-up and build back better out of this pandemic – succeeding the Industrial Strategy published over four years ago.
We want to understand the ideas and priorities of the Devolved Administrations in relation to driving long-term growth and recovery. The Plan for Growth will support our efforts to unite and level up the country: tackling geographic disparities; supporting struggling towns to regenerate; ensuring every region and nation of the UK has at least one globally competitive city; and strengthening the Union.
Over the next 12 months BEIS will follow up the plan for growth with an Innovation Strategy, as well as strategies for net zero, hydrogen and space. We will also develop a vision for high-growth sectors and technologies, putting the UK at the forefront of opportunities and giving businesses the confidence to invest, boost productivity across the UK and enable our transition to net zero.
We are working across government and with our Innovation Expert Group to develop the Innovation Strategy. It will outline our ambitions in innovation and where we want to focus our efforts over the next decade; and the importance of research and innovation to levelling up and the Government’s commitment to ensuring that R&D benefits the economy and society in nations, regions and local areas across the UK. Following the publication of the Strategy, the government will continue engaging in detail with businesses of all types to build our ambitious innovation agenda.
We are working to strengthen the Union to ensure that the institutions and the power of the United Kingdom are used in a way that benefits people in every part of our country. Levelling up represents an important part of the government’s ambitions for R&D and innovation, building on the approach set out in the R&D Roadmap.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that investment in research is linked to economic growth.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Government is investing £14.9 billion in research and development in 2021/22. This puts UK Government Research & Development (R&D) spending at its highest level in four decades. We are continuing to take forward commitments from last year’s R&D Roadmap, which set out our vision to ensure the UK is the best place in the world for scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to live and work, while helping to power the UK’s economic and social recovery and level up the UK. The R&D Places Strategy, due to be published later this year, will ensure that R&D benefits the economy and society in nations, regions and local areas across the UK contributing to the Government’s wider levelling-up ambitions.
As announced in the Plan for Growth at Budget 2021, we will also publish a new Innovation Strategy in the Summer. Building on the R&D Roadmap, the strategy will identify how we can enhance innovation even further working closely with business.
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to help ensure investment for projects in the UK Innovation Corridor; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The R&D Places Strategy, to be published later this year, will ensure that research and innovation benefits the economy and society in nations, regions and local areas across the UK contributing to the Government’s wider levelling up ambitions. We want to build on existing place-based funding initiatives and work with stakeholders to promote increased private investment across the UK to support promising research and innovation that drives local economic growth.
Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will meet with Welsh MPs from all political parties to discuss the (a) design of and (b) consultation process for the shared prosperity fund.
Answered by Alun Cairns
I recently met the all-party group for post-Brexit funding for nations, regions and local areas to discuss the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. As I said at Wales Oral Questions on 3 April, I would be happy to meet with the honourable Gentleman and colleagues to discuss the Fund.