Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his policy to use energy policy to increase R&D investment in Scotland.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The Government is committed to investing in science, research and innovation across the UK and across the energy sector. The Government is committed to increasing support for R&D as a key pillar of our Industrial Strategy and have committed to raise total R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.
The Department is investing £505m under our Energy Innovation Programme between 2015/16-2020/21, as part of the Government’s wider £2.5bn clean growth innovation activities that will support projects across the UK. Scottish innovators are eligible to bid into competitions under this programme, alongside all constituent parts of the UK.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many senior civil servants (a) are employed and (b) have been employed by his Department and its predecessor Departments in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regularly publishes its workforce management information, by month, including the numbers of staff in Senior Civil Servant grades. March data has yet to be published and that number is 214. The remaining information for BEIS is available here: www.gov.uk/search?q=BEIS+workforce
Where the information is available for each of its immediate predecessors, the Departments for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Energy and Climate Change, including the numbers of staff in Senior Civil Servant grades, it is available here:
www.gov.uk/search?q=bis+workforce
www.gov.uk/search?q=DECC+workforce
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many senior civil servant vacancies there are in his Department.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is currently advertising the following number of senior civil servant vacancies:
SCS PB3 – 1
SCS PB1 – 5.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what value for money assessment the Government has conducted on the Wylfa Newydd nuclear project.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government published a value for money assessment for Hinkley Point C at the time of the deal being signed and will carry out a value for money assessment for any future new nuclear project before a final deal is agreed.
The Government will, at the appropriate time, publish this assessment which would set out the criteria used to determine value for money of the financing arrangements.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what criteria the Government will apply when assessing the value for money of any new financing arrangement for new nuclear power sites.
Answered by Lord Harrington of Watford
The Government published a value for money assessment for Hinkley Point C at the time of the deal being signed and will carry out a value for money assessment for any future new nuclear project before a final deal is agreed.
The Government will, at the appropriate time, publish this assessment which would set out the criteria used to determine value for money of the financing arrangements.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many UK-based companies will potentially be excluded from the Galileo project supply chain after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
UK companies have been central to the development of the Galileo satellite navigation system since its inception. While the UK remains a Member of the European Union we will fully participate in the EU space programmes including Galileo, and it is the Government’s position that UK industry should be able to compete fairly for contracts during this period. The Government would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives however the details of any future relationship will be part of the upcoming negotiations.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
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 is taking to ensure that staff remain in the UK in the light of the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts supercomputer moving to Italy.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
No final decision has yet been taken by the Members of European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on the future location of its supercomputer. We have made clear the UK’s commitment and enduring entitlement to hosting the ECMWF Headquarters.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what contingency he plans to put in place in the event the UK is unable to access the Galileo or GPS navigation systems after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
People and businesses in the UK will be able to continue to use the freely available signals from satellite navigation systems such as the American GPS and Galileo after the UK has left the EU. The UK’s arrangements to access the encrypted GPS signals will be unaffected by UK exit from the EU. upcoming negotiations. The UK is a world leader in the development of applications which exploit the signals from satellite navigation systems.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what navigation system he plans for the UK to use after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
People and businesses in the UK will be able to continue to use the freely available signals from satellite navigation systems such as the American GPS and Galileo after the UK has left the EU. The UK’s arrangements to access the encrypted GPS signals will be unaffected by UK exit from the EU. upcoming negotiations. The UK is a world leader in the development of applications which exploit the signals from satellite navigation systems.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with EU counterparts on the future participation of the UK-based companies in the Galileo project after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
This Government intends to secure the best possible outcome for the UK as we exit the European Union. The UK has played a major part in developing the main EU space programmes including Galileo. We would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives; however it is too early to speculate on the UK’s future relationship with specific EU programmes and the Government will not be providing a commentary on each aspect of the negotiations.