Chi Onwurah

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) prohibits employers and service providers from discriminating against employees, job applicants and customers because of or in relation to a protected characteristic. This includes discrimination through actions taken as a result of deploying an algorithm or a similar artificial intelligence mechanism. The key test is how the employer or service provider acts and whether this is lawful under the Act, not the tools used in the decision-making process.

It is for the courts to interpret and apply the law, including where new and evolving technology is at play. To date, it has not been necessary to consider amendments to the Equality Act 2010 in this context and the Government has no plans to bring forward such legislation. However, we will continue to monitor developments.

On 10 September 2021 the government launched a public consultation, Data: A new direction. The consultation proposes reforms to enable organisations to use personal data and sensitive personal data for the purpose of managing the risk of bias in their AI systems. The consultation will close on 19 November 2021.

In addition, the Equality and Human Rights Commission is developing guidance for the public sector on algorithmic decision-making.

The independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published its findings on 31 March 2021. The report took an evidence-led approach drawing on academic research, expert views and over 2,300 submissions to the call for evidence. The Employment and Enterprise chapter of the report summarises the Commission’s research about Artificial Intelligence systems and bias in technology.

The Commission recommended that the government issue guidance that clarifies how to apply the Equality Act to algorithmic decision-making and require transparency for public sector bodies when this is applied to decisions concerning individuals. The government is still carefully considering the report’s findings and recommendations and will respond in full this summer.

The independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published its findings on 31 March 2021. The report took an evidence-led approach drawing on academic research, expert views and over 2,300 submissions to the call for evidence. The Employment and Enterprise chapter of the report summarises the Commission’s research about Artificial Intelligence systems and bias in technology.

The Commission recommended that the government issue guidance that clarifies how to apply the Equality Act to algorithmic decision-making and require transparency for public sector bodies when this is applied to decisions concerning individuals. The government is still carefully considering the report’s findings and recommendations and will respond in full this summer.

The independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published its findings on 31 March 2021. The report took an evidence-led approach drawing on academic research, expert views and over 2,300 submissions to the call for evidence. The Employment and Enterprise chapter of the report summarises the Commission’s research about Artificial Intelligence systems and bias in technology.

The Commission recommended that the government issue guidance that clarifies how to apply the Equality Act to algorithmic decision-making and require transparency for public sector bodies when this is applied to decisions concerning individuals. The government is still carefully considering the report’s findings and recommendations and will respond in full this summer.

The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities published its findings on 31 March 2021 and its report is available on GOV.UK. The Employment and Enterprise chapter of the report includes the Commission’s research about Artificial Intelligence systems and bias in technology.

The Commission has recommended that Government issue guidance that clarifies how to apply the Equality Act to algorithmic decision-making and require transparency for public sector bodies when such is applied to decision making concerning individuals. The Government is now considering the Commission’s recommendations in detail and will respond in full this summer.

Individual departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions, including the award of contracts.

In 2020, we launched a new model to deliver social value through Government's commercial activities. Central government organisations should use this model to take account of the additional social benefits that can be achieved in the delivery of its contracts, using policy outcomes aligned with this Government’s priorities.

Each Buying Authority has their own commercial spend controls that apply to their contracts with suppliers. Value-for-money and cost implications will vary on a case-by-case basis and it is down to each department to determine what these are in their respective circumstances. The Technology Code of Practice ensures that departments have multiple options available with a range of suppliers.

The driving principle behind public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money. That means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project, not just price alone. The best way to test for and to demonstrate this principle is via an open competition, as is required in most cases by public procurement legislation.

The government wants UK businesses to be successful in bidding for UK public contracts. That is why this government is committed to the procurement reform bill which will provide simpler, less bureaucratic processes for our businesses and better commercial outcomes for our public bodies - all while continuing to comply with our international commitments.

Through our new approach to extend the use of the Social Value Act, effective from 1 January 2021, additional social benefits can be taken into account in the delivery of contracts in a streamlined and standardised way, using policy outcomes aligned to this government’s priorities. From creating jobs and skills, building diverse supply chains and working towards Net Zero, embedding social value in procurement can help us to invest in our communities.

In addition to training commercial staff and making detailed guidance available to all on gov.uk, Cabinet Office and DCMS are working with supplier representative bodies and other external stakeholders to continue to build awareness.

There are a range of suppliers that compete to offer services via a number of framework agreements through the Crown Commercial Service, such as G-Cloud and Cloud Compute. Pricing and commercial offers in this industry are very competitive between suppliers.

Government does not place a cap on the proportion of cloud services provided by any of the current suppliers. Government Departments conduct their own assessments around value for money and implement their outsourcing strategies accordingly to meet their needs.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Publicly available spend data provided by the Crown Commercial Service reports that spend associated with these contracts totals at £371m through G-Cloud Framework Agreements since its 7th iteration up until the present time.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Publicly available spend data provided by the Crown Commercial Service reports that spend associated with these contracts totals at £371m through G-Cloud Framework Agreements since its 7th iteration up until the present time.

It is government policy not to comment on or discuss details of national security contracts.

These are commercial matters for the parties concerned. The Government was not involved at any point in the takeover talks on the sale of Newcastle United.

The role of the Electoral Commission is to ensure that elections and referendums are run effectively and in accordance with the law, to register political parties, and to regulate donations and loans to political parties and other campaigners and their spending. The Commission has recently launched a public awareness campaign about online political advertising.

The Government is committed to introducing a digital imprints regime. It will inform voters about the source of digital campaign material. The Electoral Commission will play a central role in ensuring compliance with the regime. This will be a big step forward in making UK politics more transparent and will empower voters to make informed decisions.

Tackling disinformation in all its forms remains a key priority for the Government. As set out in the Full Government Response, the Online Safety Bill will introduce a duty of care requiring companies to address harms on their online platforms, such as misinformation and disinformation. The new laws will have robust and proportionate measures to deal with misinformation and disinformation that could cause significant physical or psychological harm to an individual. Ofcom will be the independent online harms regulator and the Bill will give Ofcom the tools it needs to understand how effectively disinformation is being addressed so that it can take action as required.

This £10million fund will help deliver charitable projects and initiatives across the UK that support veterans with mental health needs. The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, in addition to disbursing their regular funding of £10million per annum, will design and run an open grant competition to award the additional funding to organisations delivering in-scope programmes in support of veterans' mental health.

The £475,000 is new funding representing an opportunity to improve the ability of charities to work together and with government, enhancing the provision of support for veterans and the broader Armed Forces Community. Therefore the additional funds have been allocated to the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, within the Cabinet Office.

The Government committed funding at last year’s Spending Review to develop the first stage of an ambitious cross-government single sign-on and digital identity solution. Our vision is for members of the public to be able to access any online central government service simply, safely and securely using a single sign-on.

The Government is committed to working with its suppliers to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, as part of wider government action to tackle business compliance with the Modern Slavery Act.

The Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT) helps public sector organisations work in partnership with suppliers to improve the policies, processes and systems they have in place to identify and tackle the risk of modern slavery in supply chains. The MSAT records a broad range of information including risk assessments, due diligence and any training the supplier has undertaken to mitigate modern slavery risks. The government continues to work with its Strategic Suppliers in areas the MSAT has identified can be improved.

AWS’s publicly available ‘Amazon Supply Chain Standards’ policy sets out commitment to both labour and human rights.

The Government is committed to working with its suppliers to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, as part of wider government action to tackle business compliance with the Modern Slavery Act.

The Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT) helps public sector organisations work in partnership with suppliers to improve the policies, processes and systems they have in place to identify and tackle the risk of modern slavery in supply chains. The MSAT records a broad range of information including risk assessments, due diligence and any training the supplier has undertaken to mitigate modern slavery risks. The government continues to work with its Strategic Suppliers in areas the MSAT has identified can be improved.

AWS’s publicly available ‘Amazon Supply Chain Standards’ policy sets out commitment to both labour and human rights.

The Government is committed to working with its suppliers to tackle modern slavery in supply chains, as part of wider government action to tackle business compliance with the Modern Slavery Act.

The Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT) helps public sector organisations work in partnership with suppliers to improve the policies, processes and systems they have in place to identify and tackle the risk of modern slavery in supply chains. The MSAT records a broad range of information including risk assessments, due diligence and any training the supplier has undertaken to mitigate modern slavery risks. The government continues to work with its Strategic Suppliers in areas the MSAT has identified can be improved.

AWS’s publicly available ‘Amazon Supply Chain Standards’ policy sets out commitment to both labour and human rights.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a strategic supplier to the Government. As a strategic supplier, AWS is asked to complete the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool annually.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Tom Read was appointed as CEO of Government Digital Service following an external recruitment overseen by the Civil Service Commission. The selection panel included the Civil Service Chief Operating Officer, the Director General for Digital and Media Policy, Jacqueline De Rojas, and a Civil Service Commissioner.

Joanna Davinson was transferred within the Civil Service, and Paul Willmott was a direct appointment to an advisory role.

I refer the hon. Member to the list of Ministerial Responsibilities published here.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Cabinet Office seeks to ensure that government organisations choose the right technology to meet their diverse hosting and cloud technology needs. Departments are required to follow the Technology Code of Practice when choosing a cloud provider. Public sector organisations can use the Digital Marketplace frameworks to purchase cloud services, hosting technology and support from a wide range of suppliers including many small and medium enterprises.

Data on government spending with suppliers is available on the Crown Commercial Service website. Departments also publish spend data on GOV.UK and are responsible for their own hosting decisions.

As part of the One Government Cloud Strategy, the government has already agreed a number of Memorandums of Understanding with suppliers including UKCloud, Microsoft, IBM, Google and AWS.

The Government is assessing the need for any actions arising from the Schrems II decision. Further announcements will be made in the usual way.

Data on government spending with suppliers is available on the Crown Commercial Service website. Departments also publish spend data on GOV.UK and are responsible for their own hosting decisions.

As part of the One Government Cloud Strategy, the government has already agreed a number of Memorandums of Understanding with suppliers including UKCloud, Microsoft, IBM, Google and AWS.

The Government is assessing the need for any actions arising from the Schrems II decision. Further announcements will be made in the usual way.

Data on government spending with suppliers is available on the Crown Commercial Service website. Departments also publish spend data on GOV.UK and are responsible for their own hosting decisions.

As part of the One Government Cloud Strategy, the government has already agreed a number of Memorandums of Understanding with suppliers including UKCloud, Microsoft, IBM, Google and AWS.

The Government is assessing the need for any actions arising from the Schrems II decision. Further announcements will be made in the usual way.

The Cabinet Office reviews the diversity of supply of government hosting and cloud services.

Departments are required to follow the Technology Code of Practice when choosing a cloud provider. Departments must show that they have chosen the technology which provides the best value for money while meeting user needs.

Details of spend with cloud hosting providers is available on the G-Cloud dashboard.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ96061.

The Government published the updated Border Operating Model on 8 October. The document outlines the processes and systems required to move goods between GB and the EU from 1 January onwards, as well as the changes due in April and July of 2021 respectively.

As has been the case under successive administrations, the Civil Service Code and the Civil Service Management Code sets out relevant conduct standards.

The Counter Disinformation Unit was established on 5 March 2020, bringing together cross-Government monitoring and analysis capabilities. Its primary function is to provide a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and the reach of disinformation and misinformation on Covid-19, and to work with partners to ensure appropriate action is taken.

Government has been identifying and resolving up to 70 incidents a week, often false narratives containing multiple misleading claims coordinating with departments across Whitehall to deploy an appropriate response. This can include a direct rebuttal on social media, working with platforms to remove harmful content, and ensuring public health campaigns are promoted through reliable sources. A range of criteria from engagement rates to speed of response is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken.

In August 2020 the Cabinet Office launched a recruitment campaign for a Government Chief Digital Officer, whose role will be to ensure we can realise the government’s ambition to make UK Government digital services the best in the world. Throughout this time the Government Digital Data and Technology function and Government Digital Service have continued to deliver critical services and expert advice.

The Government’s Data Ethics Framework and ‘Guide to Using AI in the Public Sector’, alongside other guidance are available on GOV.UK, to support ethical and safe use of algorithms in the public sector. Building on existing work on algorithmic and data ethics, the Government is now seeking to deliver more transparency on the use of algorithmic-assisted decision making within the public sector; and is working with leading organisations in the field of data and AI ethics on a proposed approach to algorithmic transparency.

The Government’s Data Ethics Framework and ‘Guide to Using AI in the Public Sector’, alongside other guidance are available on GOV.UK, to support ethical and safe use of algorithms in the public sector. Building on existing work on algorithmic and data ethics, the Government is now seeking to deliver more transparency on the use of algorithmic-assisted decision making within the public sector; and is working with leading organisations in the field of data and AI ethics on a proposed approach to algorithmic transparency.

Government Digital Service (GDS) leads the Government’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function. The GDS Academy provides training.

Regarding cyber skills, I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQs 53531 and 52225 on 09 June 2020. Details of funding are published in the Cabinet Office annual reports.

As the Government has previously stated, it is difficult for a single model or scenario to capture the varying impacts that will be felt across different parts of the economy. We want to stimulate and capture the widest possible range of analysis from economists and academics to businesses and civil society groups. As such, the Government intends to invite contributions in due course about the economic implications of the future relationship.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 59762 on 23 June 2020.

The economic impacts of our trade deal with the EU are already the subject of a thriving public debate.

A Written Ministerial Statement (HCWS271) made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 8 June updated on the progress of negotiations.

We will continue to keep Parliament informed with appropriate analysis at appropriate times.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 33512 on 21 April 2020.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

National and local governments are using messaging to mobile phones as part of its COVID-19 communications campaign to ensure people across the UK continue to adhere to the guidance to 'stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives.' This has included the Government sending a message to all mobile phone users to highlight the new rules in force. Local health providers, such as GP surgeries, are also using mobile messaging to advise people of revised ways to access health care services.

This Government has invested £1.68m in communications initiatives to counter disinformation since March 2018. These initiatives include the RESIST toolkit which helps public organisations respond to disinformation campaigns, and the 'Don’t Feed the Beast' behaviour change campaign to educate and empower those who see, inadvertently share and are affected by false and misleading information.

The Government regularly monitors the performance and financial health of all our strategic suppliers, including those in the IT sector which include DXC Technology.

We remain in regular discussions with DXC’s leadership team on the execution of their new strategy and continue to monitor their performance on Government contracts.

DXC appointed a new CEO in September 2019 who has launched a new strategy.

Quantum computing; 5G technologies and artificial intelligence are all areas which offer significant economic opportunities to the UK, as well as risks to our national cyber security that need to be managed.

Our development of Quantum Computing is funded by combined public and private investment through the UK’s ten year National Quantum Technologies Programme (NQTP).

Our current National Cyber Security Strategy (2016-2021) is delivering transformational change, building new capabilities and intervening to address the cyber threat. It is supported by £1.9bn investment designed to transform our resilience and continue to build our position as an innovative and expert world leader in cyber security.

The government's Sector Deal for AI launched in April 2018 and outlined a package of support for the sector.

This Government is committed to being open in their dealings with the press and to the principles of media freedom.

Ministers from across Government have appeared on and been interviewed by a wide range of media on a daily basis and have spent time speaking directly to the British public in other ways.

This Government is committed to being open in their dealings with the press and to the principles of media freedom.

Ministers from across Government have appeared on and been interviewed by a wide range of media on a daily basis and have spent time speaking directly to the British public in other ways.

There are no changes to the commercial agreements of levels of service with UK Government digital identity providers as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

The Government’s response to the digital identity consultation (Call for Evidence) will be published in due course.

Verify is delivered with private sector providers and next steps will be announced in the usual manner.

An extensive response to the PAC report was published in October 2019 and can be found at CP 176 – Treasury Minutes Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts.

There are no changes to the commercial agreements of levels of service with UK Government digital identity providers as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

The Government’s response to the digital identity consultation (Call for Evidence) will be published in due course.

Verify is delivered with private sector providers and next steps will be announced in the usual manner.

An extensive response to the PAC report was published in October 2019 and can be found at CP 176 – Treasury Minutes Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts.

There are no changes to the commercial agreements of levels of service with UK Government digital identity providers as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

The Government’s response to the digital identity consultation (Call for Evidence) will be published in due course.

Verify is delivered with private sector providers and next steps will be announced in the usual manner.

An extensive response to the PAC report was published in October 2019 and can be found at CP 176 – Treasury Minutes Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts.

There are no changes to the commercial agreements of levels of service with UK Government digital identity providers as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

The Government’s response to the digital identity consultation (Call for Evidence) will be published in due course.

Verify is delivered with private sector providers and next steps will be announced in the usual manner.

An extensive response to the PAC report was published in October 2019 and can be found at CP 176 – Treasury Minutes Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts.

There are no changes to the commercial agreements of levels of service with UK Government digital identity providers as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

The Government’s response to the digital identity consultation (Call for Evidence) will be published in due course.

Verify is delivered with private sector providers and next steps will be announced in the usual manner.

An extensive response to the PAC report was published in October 2019 and can be found at CP 176 – Treasury Minutes Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are published quarterly on GOV.UK.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer which I gave to PQ 1802 on 29 January 2020.

There are no local elections scheduled to take place in Northern Ireland in 2020.

The Scottish Parliament is responsible for the franchise for local elections in Scotland and elections to the Scottish Parliament.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green on 6 July 2022 to Question 28901.

‘Electronics, Photonics and Quantum’ was one of seven technology families defined by the Government in the Innovation Strategy (HMG 2021), which highlighted UK strengths in high potential emerging technologies.

The UK is a global leader in photonics, which contributed £14.5 billion to the UK economy in 2020. Government is keen to see this contribution grow across many applications, including manufacturing and agriculture. Agriculture was specifically cited in the Innovation Strategy as a domain for the convergence of the technology families.

Photonics was also included within the National Security Investment Act (NSI) to ensure its growth and adoption is secure.

The information requested is as follows:

Innovate UK’s business awarded grant support by Sector based on their Company House registered Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code (where available):

Data is not routinely collected on business funding stage. or technology preparedness level. Innovate UK programmes may have a focus for both of these scales but will support a range of innovation within them. Innovate UK’s role is to enable business-led innovation across the UK, helping businesses at all stages grow through technology development and commercialisation

This is a commercial matter. The Government does not have a legal mandate to intervene in private contracts between suppliers and a business customer.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State welcomes the recent progress to expand the range and speed of routes for international talent to come and work in the UK. Should the UK be unable to associate to Horizon Europe, continued mobility for researchers will be a top priority.

The UK’s preference remains to associate to Horizon Europe and we are disappointed that the EU continues to delay this. To provide reassurance, the Government has stepped in to ensure UK-based researchers who have obtained European Research Council grants will not lose out on funding.

Through the UK’s Horizon guarantee, the Government will fund eligible successful UK applicants who expect to sign grant agreements by December 2022 and who have been unable to sign agreements with the EU. This means that UK-based researchers can receive the full value of their funding to take their projects forward at their UK institutions.

In leading his independent Review of the Research, Development and Innovation Organisational Landscape, Sir Paul Nurse has undertaken a detailed evidence gathering process, including gathering input from hundreds of organisations in the UK’s RDI landscape. Work is underway to consider and finalise the Review’s recommendations, which will be presented to my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy prior to publication.

The Government has launched its consultation ‘Choice on units of measurement: markings and sales’. The consultation seeks further views on the potential impact of any changes to the law and an impact assessment will be carried out in due course.

The Government is reviewing the current law on units of measurement and has recently launched its consultation, ‘Choice on units of measurement: markings and sales’.

BEIS has not discussed this with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) but continues to gather views through this early-stage consultation.

The most common form of converting methane into hydrogen is through steam or thermal reformation. Plasma technology could also be used to convert methane into hydrogen, but this has not yet been proven at commercial scale. This was not one of the hydrogen production routes modelled to support the development of the UK Low Carbon Hydrogen Standard as this was not considered to be amongst the main potential routes for production in the UK pipeline and lacked broadly available emissions data. As set out in the standard, the Government welcomes evidence from stakeholders on emerging technologies and potential production routes that could contribute to the UK’s future net zero energy system.

UK petrol and diesel prices since 2014 have been primarily driven by the underlying price in the global market of crude oil. These are also influenced by exchange rates and a range of other supply and demand factors specific to the wholesale markets for the fuels, including stock levels, logistics and distribution costs and seasonal demand variations.

BEIS publishes weekly national average pump prices online at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/weekly-road-fuel-prices.

BEIS does not publish wholesale prices nor UK exchange rates.

Projects need to be managed against the plan that has been provided, but the project management methodology is up to the applicant, based on what best meets the needs of the innovation.

In 2014 nominal fuel prices in the UK averaged 127.4 pence/litre (petrol) and 133.5 pence/litre (diesel), compared to average June 2022 prices (to 13/06/22) of 179.0 (petrol) and 187.9 (diesel). The changes in retail prices largely reflect those in traded wholesale prices for the fuels and exchange rates.

The nameplate atmospheric distillation capacity of all UK refineries decreased from 74.6 million tonnes/year at the end of 2013 to 62.3 million tonnes/year in March 2021.

The Government has asked the Competition and Markets Authority to conduct an urgent review of the fuel market, to explore whether the retail fuel market has adversely affected consumer interests.

Improving our ability to commercialise ideas from our world-leading research base is critical to becoming an Innovation Nation. That is why we committed in the Innovation Strategy to enhance the broad system of support for commercialisation, and why we provide financial support to a significant proportion of high-tech spinouts. This includes UKRI funding to de-risk specific R&D projects, and British Business Bank support for investors providing external capital. In the hon. Member’s own constituency, the Northern Accelerator, a partnership of five universities supported by £8.5 million from UKRI, is de-risking spinouts by establishing a seed investment fund.

The Government provided additional funding to Growth Hubs over the last two years to support businesses through EU Exit Transition and the COVID-19 Pandemic. The funding settlement for 2022/23 represents a return to a level closer to that of previous years.

The core offer of Growth Hub functions and services has the flexibility for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) to choose how they deliver services, including any enhancements according to local business needs.

BEIS does not hold data regarding completion of PhD courses for different student characteristics.

The Government wants NHS patients to benefit from innovative and effective new medicines and accelerated access through clinical research medicine via trials is a major pillar of the Life Sciences Vision. Responsibility for clinical trials sits with DHSC/NIHR but the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended several ATMP that are now routinely funded for NHS patients. Recent initiatives such as the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) and the Innovative Medicines Fund will further support the rapid introduction of effective new medicines, including ATMP, for the benefit of NHS patients.

Innovate UK and Medical Research Council, as part of UKRI have funded clinical trials in the UK for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP). Data is collected on an annual basis and information for 2022 is not yet available. From January 2021 – December 2021 there were 31 new ATMP clinical trial starts in the UK.

The National Quantum Technologies Programme, which is set to see £1 billion of public and private funding through its 10 year lifetime (2014-2024), is a collaboration between government, industry, and academia to drive the development of transformative research, products, and services in quantum. As part of this, UK Research and Innovation’s £173 million Commercialising Quantum Technologies Challenge (part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund) includes dedicated funding for projects to remove the obstacles to scale up and to support manufacturing and system or service development. UK academia and industry have been further supported by bodies such as the Compound Semiconductor Catapult and the National Physical Laboratory’s Quantum Metrology Institute to test and validate quantum technologies. In order to build on these existing initiatives, the UK Government is developing a national strategy to be published later this year.

The R&D People and Culture Strategy recognises precarity facing researchers in early-career stages and sets out the actions that government and the R&D sector will take, working together, to address this.

BEIS has established a R&D People and Culture Ministerial Coordination Group to drive the successful implementation of the Strategy. One initial area of focus is supporting dynamic and sustainable career paths, which will look at the actions the sector can take individually and collectively to address early-career precarity alongside the government-led actions set out in the Strategy.

The most recent campaign for an Executive Chair for ESRC is the only campaign on records where no candidate was deemed suitable.

Appointment campaigns are confidential, so it is not possible to disclose details of applicants or the views of the panel.

BEIS and its partner organisations take data protection very seriously. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have issued a public statement on recent Researchfish activity.

BEIS and UKRI continue to work together to ensure systems and processes reinforce compliance with GDPR and that appropriate data protection guidance and training is available for all staff.

The bids were assessed by the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC Ltd) and VMIC Ltd and its Boards of Directors decided which bids to progress. The criteria used by VMIC Ltd to assess bids is commercially confidential information.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, through the VTF, and UKRI-Innovate UK worked together closely up to and during the sale of the VMIC facility to ensure Government objectives were met.

Questions regarding VMIC’s Ltd’s non-government sources of funding should be directed towards VMIC Ltd.

The bids were assessed by the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC Ltd) and VMIC Ltd and its Boards of Directors decided which bids to progress. The criteria used by VMIC Ltd to assess bids is commercially confidential information.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, through the VTF, and UKRI-Innovate UK worked together closely up to and during the sale of the VMIC facility to ensure Government objectives were met.

Questions regarding VMIC’s Ltd’s non-government sources of funding should be directed towards VMIC Ltd.

The bids were assessed by the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC Ltd) and VMIC Ltd and its Boards of Directors decided which bids to progress. The criteria used by VMIC Ltd to assess bids is commercially confidential information.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, through the VTF, and UKRI-Innovate UK worked together closely up to and during the sale of the VMIC facility to ensure Government objectives were met.

Questions regarding VMIC’s Ltd’s non-government sources of funding should be directed towards VMIC Ltd.

The Government remains committed to and has taken unprecedented steps to support association to Horizon Europe. This includes detailing our financial commitments in the Spending Review and, as an exceptional step, setting out a guarantee to eligible, successful UK applicants to Horizon Europe, covering calls where grant agreements are signed by December 2022.This will ensure that important individual and collaborative projects can go ahead as planned.

Funding for the guarantee is demand-driven and will depend on the success rates of UK applicants to the Horizon Europe programme, as well as the duration of time the guarantee is operational.

The Government has always been clear that our priority is to support the UK’s research and development sector during this period of uncertainty. The guarantee extension announced on March 15, ensures that UK researchers can continue their work and that important international collaborations can continue. This second wave covers all eligible successful applicants to Horizon Europe, covering calls where grant agreements are expected to be signed by December 2022.Details regarding the scope and terms of the guarantee are available on the UKRI (UK Research & Innovation) website.

The guarantee delivered by UKRI allows awardees to receive the full value of their funding, subject to the terms of the guarantee. Detailed guidance on how to access the guarantee funding, and how payments are made, is available on the UKRI website.

The UK stands ready to formalise our association to EU programmes at the earliest opportunity. However, the EU’s delays to the UK’s association are putting long term science collaboration at risk.

We are urging the Commission to finalise the UK’s participation in Horizon as soon as possible. My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have raised the ongoing delays with our counterparts in Europe, including Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden. The UK also discussed association and the delays at the EU-UK Specialised Committee in December 2021.

Supporting the UK’s research and development sector through this period of uncertainty remains our top priority. In order to provide reassurance, the UK Government has guaranteed funding for the first and second waves of eligible successful applicants to Horizon Europe. And if the UK is unable to associate to Horizon Europe we will be ready to introduce a comprehensive alternative programme of international science, research and innovation collaborations.

The Government’s position remains to associate to Horizon, at the earliest opportunity. However persistent delays from the EU are causing uncertainty for the UK’s R&D sector. Supporting the UK’s research and development sector through this period of uncertainty is our top priority. If the UK is unable to associate to Horizon Europe soon and in time to make full use of the opportunities it offers, the Government will introduce a comprehensive alternative programme of international science, research and innovation collaboration, building on those outlined in the R&D Roadmap.

Funding for UK entities, successful in the latest Euratom Research & Training research call, is covered by the existing UKRI guarantee. This ensures UK entities can sign agreements and collaborative nuclear fission projects can go ahead. Relevant Euratom stakeholders have been contacted regarding the availability of the guarantee. £4m of funding has been agreed to provide this guarantee. It remains our policy to associate to Euratom R&T. Contracts for the next wave of Euratom R&T are unlikely to be signed before late 2023 and relevant teams across government will continue to work towards ensuring UK entities have the confidence to apply for the second wave of grants.

Innovate UK didn’t have the right to appoint board members to VMIC Ltd's Board of Directors. Innovate UK and the Vaccines Taskforce did attend VMIC Ltd's Board meetings as Observers.

Dr Peter Highnam has withdrawn from accepting the CEO role for personal reasons. Once the agency is operational, full remuneration details of ARIA’s senior leadership team will be published in the usual way and included in the agency’s annual reports and accounts.

The initial recruitment campaign returned a strong field of candidates and several were considered by Ministers. However, none were ultimately deemed suitable. Another campaign will start shortly with a view to attracting a wider range of candidates.

VMIC is a private company and due to commercial sensitivity, we cannot state how much funding we expect to recover from the grants provided to the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC).

The Government is supportive of VMIC Board’s decision to sell its Harwell facility and expects it to deliver strong positive value for money for the taxpayer. Catalent, the facility’s purchaser, is a global leader in the MRNA sector, with substantial experience manufacturing Moderna’s mRNA COVID vaccine, as well as the Pfizer, Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines. Catalent is planning to invest up to £120m in the facility and provide up to 400 jobs. With this investment, Catalent will be able to complete and sustainable use the facility for the development and manufacture of biologic therapies and vaccines, potentially including mRNA: a valuable contribution to the UK’s vaccine resilience.

The Government has committed to support successful initial UK applicants to Horizon Europe, who are unable to sign grant agreements with the EU due to delays by the EU in formalising our association to the programme.

On 15 March we announced an extension of the guarantee to a second wave of eligible, successful applicants to ensure that important individual and collaborative projects can go ahead as planned. This will extend the guarantee to grant agreements expected to be signed by December 2022 and will enable awardees to receive the full value of their funding.

Supporting the UK’s research and development sector through this period of uncertainty is our top priority. The agreed funding provisions recognise that this support is demand-driven and determined by the number of successful UK applications. All eligible, successful UK applicants will be supported. As Horizon Europe only recently started, data on successful bids will be reviewed as the programme progresses, and as grants are issued via UKRI.

The Government is not selling the VMIC facility. VMIC UK Ltd is a private company and has always been a private company. The decision to sell was made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors. UKRI-Innovate UK and the Vaccine Taskforce are communicating with VMIC to help ensure the UK has a strong onshore vaccine ecosystem.

Innovate UK has exercised its right to be an observer on the VMIC Board of Directors since the inception of VMIC. Innovate UK has been a board observer when the sale of the facility has been discussed.

The Vaccine Taskforce is in contact with VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors following their decision to pursue a sale. Decisions regarding how best to pursue the company’s objectives are made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors and executive team. The Government will continue to support the UK’s domestic vaccine manufacturing, vaccine innovation and health emergency response capability.

Details on any potential acquirers of VMIC UK Ltd or any potential return to Government are commercially sensitive.

The Government is not selling the VMIC facility. VMIC UK Ltd is a private company and has always been a private company. The decision to sell was made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors. UKRI-Innovate UK and the Vaccine Taskforce are communicating with VMIC to help ensure the UK has a strong onshore vaccine ecosystem.

Innovate UK has exercised its right to be an observer on the VMIC Board of Directors since the inception of VMIC. Innovate UK has been a board observer when the sale of the facility has been discussed.

The Vaccine Taskforce is in contact with VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors following their decision to pursue a sale. Decisions regarding how best to pursue the company’s objectives are made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors and executive team. The Government will continue to support the UK’s domestic vaccine manufacturing, vaccine innovation and health emergency response capability.

Details on any potential acquirers of VMIC UK Ltd or any potential return to Government are commercially sensitive.

The Government is not selling the VMIC facility. VMIC UK Ltd is a private company and has always been a private company. The decision to sell was made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors. UKRI-Innovate UK and the Vaccine Taskforce are communicating with VMIC to help ensure the UK has a strong onshore vaccine ecosystem.

Innovate UK has exercised its right to be an observer on the VMIC Board of Directors since the inception of VMIC. Innovate UK has been a board observer when the sale of the facility has been discussed.

The Vaccine Taskforce is in contact with VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors following their decision to pursue a sale. Decisions regarding how best to pursue the company’s objectives are made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors and executive team. The Government will continue to support the UK’s domestic vaccine manufacturing, vaccine innovation and health emergency response capability.

Details on any potential acquirers of VMIC UK Ltd or any potential return to Government are commercially sensitive.

The Government is not selling the VMIC facility. VMIC UK Ltd is a private company and has always been a private company. The decision to sell was made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors. UKRI-Innovate UK and the Vaccine Taskforce are communicating with VMIC to help ensure the UK has a strong onshore vaccine ecosystem.

Innovate UK has exercised its right to be an observer on the VMIC Board of Directors since the inception of VMIC. Innovate UK has been a board observer when the sale of the facility has been discussed.

The Vaccine Taskforce is in contact with VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors following their decision to pursue a sale. Decisions regarding how best to pursue the company’s objectives are made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors and executive team. The Government will continue to support the UK’s domestic vaccine manufacturing, vaccine innovation and health emergency response capability.

Details on any potential acquirers of VMIC UK Ltd or any potential return to Government are commercially sensitive.

The Government is not selling the VMIC facility. VMIC UK Ltd is a private company and has always been a private company. The decision to sell was made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors. UKRI-Innovate UK and the Vaccine Taskforce are communicating with VMIC to help ensure the UK has a strong onshore vaccine ecosystem.

Innovate UK has exercised its right to be an observer on the VMIC Board of Directors since the inception of VMIC. Innovate UK has been a board observer when the sale of the facility has been discussed.

The Vaccine Taskforce is in contact with VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors following their decision to pursue a sale. Decisions regarding how best to pursue the company’s objectives are made by VMIC UK Ltd’s Board of Directors and executive team. The Government will continue to support the UK’s domestic vaccine manufacturing, vaccine innovation and health emergency response capability.

Details on any potential acquirers of VMIC UK Ltd or any potential return to Government are commercially sensitive.

We recognise the important role that the private non-profit sector, such as charities, play in both funding and performing R&D. In 2019, the private non-profit sector funded £1,766 million worth of R&D and performed £843 million of R&D. The Greater South East contributes the highest share of private non-profit expenditure on R&D, with 84% of total expenditure in 2019 vs 16% for outside of the region.

The Levelling Up White Paper shows that we are committed to increasing total investment in R&D across the whole of the UK, of which private non-profit R&D is an important element.

In setting the R&D mission, BEIS referred to published research on leverage, which found that we expect public R&D to leverage at least £2 of private R&D funding for every £1 of public R&D expenditure over the long term. This is based on a 2020 study published by BEIS and conducted by Oxford Economics, which estimates that each £1 of public R&D investment eventually stimulates between £1.96 and £2.34 of private R&D investment, the study found that almost all leverage is realised within 15 years.

BEIS is working with DLUHC and other government departments on measuring and reporting on missions in the Levelling Up White Paper and further detail will be made available in due course.

Innovate UK is not a voting member of the VMIC UK Ltd Board of Directors. It holds observer status on the Board.

£5,009m has been allocated to successful Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund (MDMTF) projects to date. These allocations have no impact on the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund resource. Applicants from the one-year MDMTF can also apply to the successor fund if the application is for a different project.

Discussions on alternative launch providers and the roll out of OneWeb satellites are a matter for OneWeb. These commercially sensitive discussions are likely to take time given the fast-changing situation and complexity of launch planning. We will engage with OneWeb in its thinking on alternative launch providers where appropriate.

In the Autumn Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £354 million for UK life sciences manufacturing. This includes funding to further enhance the UK’s health emergency responsiveness and capability in vaccine production. Areas of focus for this funding will include mRNA capability following the success of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, and investments which will strengthen the resilience of the UK’s vaccine supply chains. The Vaccine Taskforce has undertaken considerable market engagement across the global vaccine sector to maximise impact for the UK taxpayers.

The £60 million Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) was announced on 2 March 2022. The launch was accompanied by a UK wide engagement of life sciences manufacturing companies, Trade Associations and other key sector stakeholders.

The objective of the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) is to incentivise capital investments in manufacturing across the UK. Applicants will be encouraged to describe R&D aspects of their manufacturing proposal as part of the Fund’s economic assessment. 75% of life sciences manufacturing jobs are located outside of London and England’s South-East and we expect the LSIMF to create highly-skilled jobs across all regions of the UK.

The fund seeks to leverage £300 million of gross private sector manufacturing investment by March 2025, more than four times the public investment of £60 million. Applicants will undergo an economic assessment to ensure that their proposal provides a sufficient level of private sector investment. Applications will also be assessed on their alignment with the fund’s objectives of boosting health resilience, deploying innovation and minimising environmental impact.

As Horizon Europe only recently started, data on successful bids will be reviewed as the programme progresses. The regional distribution of funding under Horizon 2020 – the predecessor programme to Horizon Europe – is publicly available data. It can be seen in the table below. UK entities are already eligible to apply to Horizon Europe calls ahead of formal UK association to the programme.

OneWeb’s launch contract is with Arianespace, a French company. As a non-majority shareholder in OneWeb (17.6%), we cannot comment on arrangements between Arianespace and its suppliers.

Giving the “105” number a similar status as the 999/112 Public Emergency Call Service number would require a change to primary legislation - most likely to the Communications Act (2003) - which would require thorough consultation with Industry, Ofcom, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The UK stands ready to formalise our association to EU programmes, but disappointingly there have been persistent delays from the EU. We cannot wait forever for association to be finalised, and so we are preparing for all scenarios going forward. We will support the UK R&D sector through this uncertain period, either by association to Horizon or through the implementation of an alternative UK programme, if this proves necessary.

We are currently developing a bold and ambitious long-term UK offer that combines the benefits of Horizon association whilst also strengthening the UK’s global position and enhancing our unique selling points as a global science superpower.

It will build on the Integrated Review and R&D Roadmap and include a strong and attractive offer to encourage talented individuals to build their careers here, developing the skills and workforce the UK needs as well as investing in those areas of research and innovation which support tomorrow's economy, including technologies and missions as set out in the Innovation Strategy.

The Department primarily funds research into energy generation through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which in 2020-2021 funded £205 million towards alternative energy resources.

The figures for 2021-22 will be available in the autumn.

As I noted on 27 February, BEIS is rapidly reviewing all Russian beneficiaries of UK science, research, technology and innovation funding. This is a fast moving policy area and the Government will provide an update in due course.

Innovation Accelerators are a new pilot approach to supporting three UK city regions to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation. They will be locally led partnerships involving leaders in local government, business and R&D institutions, working with national Government and R&D funders.

The partnerships will develop plans to accelerate innovation-led growth in their city regions, building on local strengths and opportunities. They will receive dedicated support from the UK Government and will have access to a new £100m fund to support transformational R&D projects that grow R&D strengths, attract private investment, boost innovation diffusion, and maximise the combined economic impact of R&D institutions.

Catapults may be a part of Innovation Accelerators but are sector specific, designed to support innovation and de-risk the transition from research to commercial delivery for small, medium and large businesses. They achieve this through the provision of R&D infrastructure, specialist knowledge and expertise, partnership and collaboration building capabilities and business support.

The UK stands ready to formalise our association to EU programmes at the earliest opportunity, but disappointingly there have been persistent delays from the EU.

In order to provide reassurance, the Government has already committed to support the first wave of successful UK applicants to Horizon Europe who are unable to sign grant agreements with the EU due to these delays.

This guarantee, delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will enable awardees to receive the full value of their funding.

The Government will monitor the situation closely and is keeping all measures, including the guarantee, under constant review.

We encourage the UK sector to continue applying to Horizon Europe calls and to continue forming consortia.

Further information on how to apply and technical guidance is on the UKRI website.

In this financial year almost 95% of the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s £216m budget was for fusion projects and programmes. This includes fusion enabling technologies such as robotics, as well as the infrastructure and facilities.

The remainder was allocated to the Shareholder Programme Agreement, which pays for historical legal commitments relating to the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s predecessor bodies, or improving accessibility to apprenticeships.

The Levelling Up White Paper announced that there will be a structured process of visits, at ministerial level, across the whole of the UK in the months following publication of this White Paper, to discuss how levelling up can be successfully achieved in that area and to gather feedback. I look forward to meeting with regional leaders in England and across the UK as part of this process.

In the Levelling Up White paper BEIS committed to work to collect data at a regional level for all of its R&D spend.

UKRI publish detailed breakdowns of their funding data at a regional level annually, the latest available data is on UKRI's website at https://www.ukri.org/our-work/what-we-have-funded/regional-distribution-of-funding/. In addition, the UKRI Gateway https://gtr.ukri.org/

provides data on publicly funded research and innovation which is searchable by year and region.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given on 7 February 2022 to Question 116928.

The Vaccine Taskforce and UK Research and Innovation are engaged with the Vaccine Manufacturing and Innovation Centre (VMIC), which is a private company, as well as with other companies, to ensure the UK has a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to the UK’s resilience against COVID-19 and other future health emergencies. Details of the sale process are commercially sensitive.

The Government has invested over £380 million to date in the UK’s onshore vaccine manufacturing capacity and capability. At the recent Autumn Budget, and as part of the ‘living with COVID-19’ plan, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a further £354 million for UK life sciences. This includes funding to strengthen UK vaccine manufacturing resilience for the COVID-19 response, including COVID-19 variants, and potential future health emergencies, among other projects.

In the Life Sciences Vision, the Government committed to a healthcare mission to improve translational capabilities in neurodegeneration and dementia. The Office for Life Sciences are working with the Medical Research Council, industry, charities, academia and the wider sector to scope this Mission.

The Government has committed to invest £375 million in neurodegenerative disease research over the next five years to fund projects into a range of diseases including dementia. We are working on ways to significantly boost further research on dementia to support the delivery of the moonshot and we will be setting out our plans on dementia for England for future years in 2022. This will include our ambitions for dementia research and boosting dementia research funding.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answerI gave her on 8 February 2022 to Question 116927.

We are investing £200 million over the next three years in 12 Strength in Places projects to develop R&D capacity and support local growth across the UK. The Department is currently working to set detailed R&D budgets through to 2024/25. Further details about how the funding is allocated across the Spending Review period will be announced in due course.

The Advanced Propulsion Centre will invest almost £16 Million in a consortium developing electric propulsion systems for heavy goods vehicles in Cwmbran, Wales and Edinburgh, Scotland through the EPIC project. The EPIC project is listed as one of the three projects totalling £54 Million joint investment from APC and industry. Further details of the projects can be found at the following link:

£54 Million Investment as UK Automotive Industry Accelerates Towards Net-Zero Emissions - Advanced Propulsion Centre (apcuk.co.uk).

The EPIC Project is scheduled to last 42 months with the grant being paid over that period to the consortium members in arrears on the basis of work carried out.

The Advanced Propulsion Centre will invest almost £16 Million in a consortium developing electric propulsion systems for heavy goods vehicles in Cwmbran, Wales and Edinburgh, Scotland through the EPIC project. The EPIC project is listed as one of the three projects totalling £54 Million joint investment from APC and industry. Further details of the projects can be found at the following link:

£54 Million Investment as UK Automotive Industry Accelerates Towards Net-Zero Emissions - Advanced Propulsion Centre (apcuk.co.uk).

The EPIC Project is scheduled to last 42 months with the grant being paid over that period to the consortium members in arrears on the basis of work carried out.

The Levelling Up White Paper set out the Government’s mission to increase domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030.

In support of this, BEIS will make levelling up one of the objectives of its R&D investment strategy and will aim for the regions outside the Greater South East to receive at least 55% of its R&D budget by 2024/25.

The Department is currently working to set detailed R&D budgets through to 2024/25. Further details about how the funding is allocated across the Spending Review period will be announced in due course.

The recently published Heat and Buildings Strategy acknowledges the potential of geothermal energy and sets out the Government’s commitment to continue to monitor developments in geothermal heat in the UK and assess whether the technology provides a cost-effective option for the future.

Officials are therefore currently reaching out to industry involved in the deep geothermal sector to improve the Government’s understanding of the barriers for investment and the potential of a geothermal heat pipeline. The Government will use this information to identify the next steps that can be taken both by government and industry to realise the potential of the sector for decarbonising heat.

The Regulator Ofgem monitors households' experiences with the energy market, including those with prepayment meters, through their Consumer Engagement Surveys. The most recent survey, published in April 2021, suggested that 21% of prepayment meter households had temporarily been disconnected from their supply because their meter had run out of credit. This report is available online at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2021/04/consumer_survey_2020_update_on_engagement.pdf.

The Price Cap continues to ensure that 22 million households, including the 4 million who use a pre-payment meter, pay a fair price for their energy.

In addition, Ofgem’s new licence conditions rules protect Prepayment Meter customers at risk of self-disconnection and include requirements on suppliers to offer emergency and friendly-hours credit to all these customers and to offer additional support credit to customers in vulnerable circumstances.

The recently published Heat and Buildings Strategy acknowledges the potential of geothermal energy and sets out the Government’s commitment to continue to monitor developments in geothermal heat in the UK and assess whether the technology provides a cost-effective option for the future.

Officials are therefore currently reaching out to industry involved in the deep geothermal sector to improve the Government’s understanding of the barriers for investment and the potential of a geothermal heat pipeline. The Government will use this information to identify the next steps that can be taken both by government and industry to realise the potential of the sector for decarbonising heat.

The UK Government will ask the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Government Office for Science to work with all Whitehall departments to collect and publish sub-national data on R&D spending. The timescales for this programme of work will be agreed collectively with all the parties in due course. We work with the ONS and the UK Government Office for Science to determine the most appropriate means of publishing the data.

The Levelling Up White Paper announced that the Science Minister would convene a biannual meeting with respective Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This biannual meeting will further support close working relationships between the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and ensure mutually beneficial outcomes.

Innovation Accelerators will be locally led partnerships involving leaders in local government, business and universities, working with national Government and R&D funders. They’re designed to pilot a new approach to supporting three places in the UK to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation.

Each partnership will develop plans to boost innovation and attract new R&D investment in their city regions, building on existing work that each of these three city regions have already done to identify local strengths and opportunities, including through Science and Innovation Audits and local innovation plans.

They will receive bespoke support from the UK Government, led by BEIS in partnership with other departments.

The IAs will be centred on the three city regions, but partnerships will have flexibility to expand the reach of their activity to surrounding areas if desired. The £100m of R&D funding for the Accelerators will be awarded through a process run by UKRI and will support high quality R&D projects to grow local innovation ecosystems in the three pilot areas.

This Government is fully committed to levelling up across the whole of the UK. The funding for the Oxford to Cambridge arc is one of ten grants we have provided across all parts of the UK to support space sector growth and connect the space sector ecosystem. The activity delivered by the Open University will reach into the South midlands and across to East Anglia and will ensure expertise in the region is accessible to the whole of the UK and vice versa.

In the Levelling Up White paper BEIS committed to work to collect this data at a regional level for all of its R&D spend.

UKRI publish detailed breakdowns of their funding data at a regional level annually, the latest available data is on UKRI's Regional distribution of funding – UKRI. In addition, the UKRI Gateway https://gtr.ukri.org/ provides data on publicly funded research and innovation which is searchable by year and region.

Our record increase in R&D investment to £20bn by 2024/25 means universities and businesses in the Greater South East will continue to benefit from public R&D investment. Public R&D funding will continue to be awarded competitively and open to universities, businesses and organisations across the whole UK.

The Paul Nurse review will look across the landscape of UK organisations undertaking all forms of research, development and innovation. This review will highlight the strengths to be nurtured and any comparative weaknesses to be tackled, and make recommendations for addressing them. Sir Paul Nurse will report on his review in early summer 2022.

The UK Space Agency has awarded a grant of £7.35m to Virgin Orbit to enable horizonal launch from Spaceport Cornwall. This is supported by Cornwall Council funding to support the establishment of Spaceport Cornwall, which should be operational in the next few months.

Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course.

In 2021, the Government, via UK Research and Innovation, agreed to invest £172 million over five years for the new Hartree National Centre for Digital Innovation (HNCDI). This is met with a £38 million in-kind contribution from IBM.

We engaged widely in developing proposals to pilot Innovation Accelerators in three UK city-regions. This included learning from the R&D Place Advisory Group established in 2020, which included UK and international experts.

We expect to co-develop the pilot Innovation Accelerators in partnership with the three UK city-regions selected, and confirm the metrics used to assess their success as part of finalising the business plans for the pilots. Where appropriate, these will align with the mission on R&D published in the Levelling Up White Paper and the objectives of the Innovation Strategy

We will give decision-makers at all levels the information they need to grow thriving local innovation economies. Our new open data tool, co-developed by BEIS and NESTA, provides high quality and accessible evidence on sub-regional R&D systems in the UK.

The Levelling Up White Paper sets out a cross-Government commitment that domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East will increase by at least 40% by 2030, and over the Spending Review period by at least one third.

We have not set specific targets for each region - the 40% increase refers to regions outside the Greater South East in aggregate. This ensures we are not constraining the ambitions of any one region.

This mission, which refers to R&D expenditure across all Government Departments, will complement more targeted interventions in places with high R&D potential, including the £100m investment Innovation Accelerators supporting three UK city regions to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation.

By 2030, domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East will increase by at least 40%, and over the Spending Review period by at least one third.

We have not set specific targets for each region - the 40% increase refers to regions outside the Greater South East in aggregate. This ensures we are not constraining the ambitions of any one region.

This mission will complement more targeted interventions in places with high R&D potential, including the £100m investment Innovation Accelerators supporting three UK city regions to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation.

BEIS will aim for the regions and nations outside the Greater South East to receive at least 55% of its research and development (R&D) funding by 2024/25.

To support this BEIS will make levelling up one of the objectives of its R&D investment strategy to ensure its £39.8bn settlement between 2022/23–2024/25 boosts R&D and economic growth across the whole of the UK.

In some areas like Net Zero, BEIS expects at least £7 in every £10 it invests will be invested outside the Greater South East over the spending review period.

UKRI’s new objective will help to deepen its commitment to delivering social and economic impact for citizens across the whole UK. UKRI will set out how it intends to deliver on this objective in its strategy later in 2022.

One element of that response will be a suite of resources that teams across UKRI can use to incorporate levelling up into the design and delivery of their programmes, helping UKRI to work towards a more diverse and connected system across academia, businesses and the public sector.

The Spending Review committed to an increase in public R&D spending to £20bn by 2024-25, contributing to the economy-wide target to invest 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027.

The Levelling Up White Paper set the mission for domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East to increase by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030, with that additional government funding seeking to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth. This is baselined against spending levels in 2021-22 and doesn’t include EU Programmes Association funding.

The UK Government has asked the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the UK Government Office for Science to work with all Whitehall departments to collect and publish sub-national data on their R&D spending. This will allow us to track progress on the mission to 2030.

Government considered a range of evidence and analysis in developing the R&D measures in the Levelling Up White Paper, including Nesta’s ‘The Mission £4bn’ report.

The Levelling White Paper sets out a series of measures to ensure that R&D supports levelling up across the country. Public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East will increase by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030. This additional government funding will seek to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth.

Supporting delivery of this goal, BEIS will make levelling up one of the objectives of its R&D investment strategy and will aim for the regions outside the Greater South East to receive at least 55% of its R&D budget by 2024/25.

Alongside increasing investment in innovation across the country, BEIS will invest £100m between 2022-3 and 2024-5 to pilot three new Innovation Accelerators centred on Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Glasgow City-Region. Innovation Accelerators will develop UK innovation clusters, boosting economic growth by investing in high-quality projects to grow R&D strengths, attract private investment, boost innovation diffusion, and maximise the combined economic impact of R&D institutions.

The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will maximise the contribution of innovation to levelling up by building on existing and emerging strengths across the country.

We are committed to taking a place-based approach – tailoring support to the research, development and innovation strengths of different places and developing policies in partnership with local government, businesses and R&D institutions.

New Innovation Accelerator pilots will support three places in the UK to become major, globally competitive centres for research and innovation. In addition to receiving bespoke support from the UK Government, a total of £100m R&D funding will be available to these places for projects between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Should these pilots prove successful, we will consider how to build on this approach in future.

The policies in the Levelling Up White Paper have been informed by views from across the UK - including our R&D Place Advisory Group, which includes Local Enterprise Partnership, and the Devolved Administrations - to understand how we can build on our excellence in research and innovation so that more people and places benefit.

The Department for Health & Social Care will invest £375 million in neurodegenerative disease research over the next five years to fund projects into a range of diseases including dementia.

Following the Spending Review, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy is currently working to set detailed R&D budgets through to 2024/25. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course.

BEIS published “The relationship between public and private R&D funding” (BEIS Research Paper Number 2020/010) on 1 July 2020 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-and-development-relationship-between-public-and-private-funding(opens in a new tab) carried out by Oxford Economics Ltd

They estimated the monetary impact of the long-run leverage rate, suggesting that each £1 of public R&D eventually stimulates between £1.96 and £2.34 of private R&D

The study drew on OECD data for 41 countries from 1961 to 2017 with varying degrees of completeness.

The level of private investment generated varies by sector (including maturity), stage of research and type of R&D funding programme. It can therefore vary considerably across programmes.

For Innovate UK programmes, , Innovate UK has invested £4 billion of grant funding and generated £2.3 billion of direct matched funding from businesses, since 01/01/2012. On top of this, evaluations show net additional follow-on private investment of between £1-£5 within 1-4 years of receiving a grant.

Across Innovate UK’s core programmes, validated programme evaluations demonstrate a return to the economy of approximately of up to £7 for every £1, as well as spill-over impacts estimated to be 2 to 3 times larger.

Making the most of R&D in places around the UK is a key government priority. The 2021 Spending Review sees record levels of investment in the UK’s world-leading research base with public spending on Research & Development (R&D) increasing by £5 billion per annum to £20 billion in 2024-25. The substantial uplift to research and science funding will not only allow the UK to build on our core strengths but will also provide opportunities to grow research and innovation investment across the entire country. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course.

The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will maximise the contribution of innovation to levelling up. This includes a new mission that, by 2030, domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East will increase by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030, with that additional government funding seeking to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth.

In support of this, BEIS has committed to invest at least 55% of its domestic R&D funding outside the Greater South East by 2024/25.

The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will maximise the contribution of innovation to levelling up by building on existing and emerging strengths across the country.

We are committed to taking a place-based approach – tailoring support to the research, development and innovation strengths of different places and developing policies in partnership with local government, businesses and R&D institutions.

New Innovation Accelerator pilots will support three places in the UK with world class research strengths to grow their local innovation clusters by attracting industrial R&D, creating new career opportunities and creating a more vibrant innovation ecosystem in the wider region. In addition to receiving bespoke support from the UK Government, a total of £100m R&D funding will be available to these places for projects between 2022/23 and 2024/25. Should these pilots prove successful, we will consider how to build on this approach in future.

The policies in the Levelling Up White Paper have been informed by views from across the UK - including our R&D Place Advisory Group, which includes Local Enterprise Partnership, and Mayoral Combined Authority bodies - to understand how we can build on our excellence in research and innovation so that more people and places benefit.

Business expenditure on R&D (BERD) demonstrates the amount of R&D performed by UK businesses, and is the nearest for private sector investment. In 2020, the regions of Greater London, the East of England, and South East of England accounted for 55% of total UK BERD. Since 2010, BERD outside these regions has ranged from 45% - 49%, peaking at 49% in 2016.

The Levelling Up White Paper sets out how we will maximise the contribution of innovation to levelling up. This includes a new goal that domestic public investment in R&D outside the Greater South East will increase by at least one third over the Spending Review period and at least 40 percent by 2030, with that additional government funding seeking to leverage at least twice as much private sector investment over the long term to stimulate innovation and productivity growth.

BEIS has published a R&D spatial data tool (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/access-research-and-development-spatial-data) which allows users to access, visualise and compare indicators that show the scale of R&D systems at a subregional level over time. This includes metrics that proxy for private R&D and innovation and can be reviewed for all UK regions.

We are implementing the Innovation Strategy, which sets out the Government’s vision to make the UK a global hub for innovation by 2035. It aims to boost private sector investment across the whole of the UK, which is critical to achieve our target of 2.4% of GDP being invested in R&D by 2027.

Through the Strategy, we have committed to take action in areas such as regulation and public procurement, creating the conditions for all businesses to innovate. However, this is just the starting point, and over the coming and months and years we will continue to build an enabling environment for private sector investment in R&D.

Following the Spending Review, we are also ensuring that government funding attracts private – including from overseas – investment. For example, we have increased funding for core Innovate UK programmes, reaching c.£1bn per year by 2024/25, which are highly successful in securing private sector leverage.

In September 2021, the Government convened a Life Sciences Scale-up Taskforce (the Taskforce), who were asked to consider how we can drive progress on the ease with which Life Science companies across the UK can start, grow, and scale up. This Taskforce was industry-led and not funded by Government.

In December 2021, the Taskforce provided its response to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. This included recommendations on issues that inhibit scale-up and growth, identified throughout the Life Sciences Vision (the Vision). These recommendations will now be considered by the Government as it takes forward implementation of the Vision.

The UK stands ready to formalise our association to Horizon Europe at the earliest opportunity. This remains our priority, but disappointingly there have been persistent delays from the EU.

The SME instrument has been replaced under Horizon Europe with the EIC Accelerator. UK companies are already eligible to apply for Accelerator calls ahead of formal association as set out in the EIC Accelerator Guide for Applicants. Under Horizon 2020, UK organisations won a total of nearly €190m from the SME Instrument, with 453 UK organisations participating in the SME instrument and a total of 492 UK participations in the SME instrument.

We have always been clear that our priority is to support the UK’s research and development sector and we will continue to do this in all future scenarios.

As announced at the Spending Review, in the event that the UK is unable to associate to Horizon Europe, the funding allocated will go to UK science, research and innovation programmes instead. I set out my priorities in such a scenario in an open letter in November, including my ambition for stronger SME engagement.

The Government is committed to developing a globally competitive Life Sciences investment ecosystem where private and public Life Sciences companies can access long-term capital within the UK from investors committed to building successful companies here in the UK.

To support this, in July 2021, Government launched the £200m Life Sciences Investment Programme. This will leverage around £400m of private sector investment, making around £600m financing available for the sector over the course of the next 10 years. In addition, the Government established an industry-led Life Sciences Scale-up Taskforce, which aims to drive progress on the ease with which Life Science companies can start, grow, and scale up in the UK.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 14 January 2022 to Question 101715.

Analysis conducted by the Office for Life Sciences using data from S&P Capital IQ showed that in the first 10 months of 2021, UK Life Sciences companies raised a total of £6.6bn in equity finance. This is an increase of 1,000% since 2012 when the equivalent figure was £0.6bn. These figures include public and private investment and cover the sectors of Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals, Life Sciences Tools and Services, Health Care Equipment and Supplies and Health Care Technology. They were set out in the press release accompanying the recent Biopharmaceutical CEO Roundtable, held on 2 December 2021.

The 2020 Biosciences and Health Sector Statistics publication shows that net employment in the UK life sciences industry increased by 31,500 between 2011 and 2020, and that during that period, net employment increased in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Annex: Supporting Data

Source: Office for Life Sciences: Bioscience and Health Technology Statistics 2020

Figures for the National Institute for Health Research (NHIR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) will be available in the coming months.

Please note that BBSRC provided an estimated figure for dementia research based on their broad portfolio of underpinning relevance (£29m in 2020/21).

We estimate that between 30% to 55% of plastics consumed in the UK are produced in the UK. This range depends on whether plastic imports to the UK are consumed domestically or are re-exported, however the Department does not hold this exact data.

The billions we are investing in R&D, skills and support for digital technology adoption through initiatives like Made Smarter and Help to Grow is providing a competitive business environment for British manufacturers. It is attracting new investment, developing new export opportunities, and securing new high-value jobs in our industrial heartlands.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a variety of projects related to plastics including projects improving sustainability and recyclability of plastics in the UK. For example, the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge, with £60m of funding from UKRI through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and matched by £149m from industry, is supporting academic-led research to address known problems and to support industry-led collaborative research and development of new technologies, de-risking innovative plastics sustainability projects, and delivering over 230kt per annum of additional recycling capacity. The output of this capacity is intended to be used back in packaging and will make a real contribution to the gap of recycled plastics in the UK.

The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging will see businesses that place packaging on the market bear responsibility for the costs of managing that packaging once it becomes waste. It will incentivise businesses to design and use packaging that is easier to recycle, and to increase the recycling of packaging waste.

Finally, The UK Plastic Packaging Tax will be introduced from 1 April 2022 to encourage the use of recycled plastic in packaging, and in turn stimulate increased levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste, diverting it away from landfill or incineration. It is estimated that this will lead to an increase in the use of recycled plastic by 40% in 2022-23.

The billions we are investing in R&D, skills and support for digital technology adoption through initiatives like Made Smarter and Help to Grow is providing a competitive business environment for British manufacturers. It is attracting new investment, developing new export opportunities, and securing new high-value jobs in our industrial heartlands.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a variety of projects related to plastics including projects improving sustainability and recyclability of plastics in the UK. For example, the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge, with £60m of funding from UKRI through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and matched by £149m from industry, is supporting academic-led research to address known problems and to support industry-led collaborative research and development of new technologies, de-risking innovative plastics sustainability projects, and delivering over 230kt per annum of additional recycling capacity. The output of this capacity is intended to be used back in packaging and will make a real contribution to the gap of recycled plastics in the UK.

The introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Packaging will see businesses that place packaging on the market bear responsibility for the costs of managing that packaging once it becomes waste. It will incentivise businesses to design and use packaging that is easier to recycle, and to increase the recycling of packaging waste.

Finally, The UK Plastic Packaging Tax will be introduced from 1 April 2022 to encourage the use of recycled plastic in packaging, and in turn stimulate increased levels of recycling and collection of plastic waste, diverting it away from landfill or incineration. It is estimated that this will lead to an increase in the use of recycled plastic by 40% in 2022-23.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is in the early phases of developing the Inter-Ministerial Group, to support ongoing discussions on research and development. Further details about the group will be formalised and made available in due course.

In order to support the Government’s ambitions to cement the UK’s status as a global science superpower and an innovation nation, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is in the early phases of developing an Inter-Ministerial Group, to support ongoing cross-Government discussions on research and development. Further details about the group will be formalised in due course.

Science and research allocations for 2010/2011 were published in The Allocation of Science and Research Funding 2011/12 to 2014/15. Allocations for 2021 were published in May 2021 in BEIS research and development budget allocations 2021 to 2022.

The Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) UK is a private company, limited by guarantee, and as such the UK Government does not exercise any ownership rights.

VMIC has been granted £206m of Government funding to date to support the delivery of the facility, including grants since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to increase vaccine manufacturing capacity. Reflecting the public funding VMIC has received, UK Research and Innovation (who have been managing the grant on behalf of the Vaccine Taskforce) will be required to ‘consent’ to any sale of the company or its assets and have confirmed that they will work closely with the Vaccine Taskforce in performing this function.

The Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) UK is a private company, limited by guarantee, and as such the UK Government does not exercise any ownership rights.

VMIC has been granted £206m of Government funding to date to support the delivery of the facility, including grants since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to increase vaccine manufacturing capacity. Reflecting the public funding VMIC has received, UK Research and Innovation (who have been managing the grant on behalf of the Vaccine Taskforce) will be required to ‘consent’ to any sale of the company or its assets and have confirmed that they will work closely with the Vaccine Taskforce in performing this function.

The Government reaffirmed its commitment to supporting equity finance across the UK at the 2021 Spending Review. We announced over £1.6 billion of new funding for the British Business Bank’s (BBB) regional investment funds, which provide debt and equity finance for SMEs to help them with their next stage of growth.

This funding will allow the BBB to set up new funds in Scotland and Wales and build on its existing activity in Northern Ireland. It will also see existing regional funds expand to allow businesses in the North East and South West of England to benefit from debt and equity finance provision.

We have also committed an additional £150 million to the Regional Angels Programme, which helps entrepreneurs across the UK access early-stage equity finance. Of the initial £100m commitment through this programme, 80 per cent went to businesses outside London and the South East of England.

The Global Britain Investment Fund will provide £354m to UK Life Sciences. The funding will be spent over a three-year period from April 2022. HM Treasury aggregates funds from various funding streams to finance the investments announced at Spending Review 2021, including the Global Britain Investment Fund. The individual funding sources for the Global Britain Investment Fund are therefore not known.

Research England Quality-related Research funding is allocated largely on the basis of the volume of highest quality research as assessed by REF2014. Through the “Expanding Excellence in England” programme, Research England is seeking to grow excellent research capacity where excellence exists but is currently at a small scale with potential for growth.

UKRI are publishing detailed breakdowns of their funding data at a regional level annually to increase transparency of how places benefit from R&D funding. The latest available data is at: https://www.ukri.org/our-work/what-we-have-funded/regional-distribution-of-funding/2018-to-2019-regional-distribution-of-funding/#contents-list.

The Office for Artificial Intelligence is a joint unit between BEIS and DCMS, reporting to directors in both BEIS and DCMS and accountable to Secretaries of State in both departments.

The recently published AI Strategy confirmed the Government’s commitment to continue to support the development and deployment of these technologies. The Strategy included commitments to launch a National AI Research and Innovation Programme to improve coordination and collaboration between the country’s researchers and a programme aimed at continuing to develop AI in sectors based outside of London and the South East.

The budget for the Office for Artificial Intelligence and the scale of funding provided to these programmes will be set through departmental business planning processes, which are ongoing.

The Autumn 2021 Spending Review announced record-breaking investment in the UK’s world leading research base, increasing by £5.2 billion to £20 billion per annum by 2024/25 in line with the target of UK economy-wide R&D investment reaching 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

The £1.4 billion Global Britain Investment Fund (GBIF) will drive investment in industries of national strength, including automotive, which has key regional clusters in the West Midlands, North West and North East.

The Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 represents a record investment in UK R&D – providing £20 billion per annum by 2024-25. This will support a wide range of initiatives to cement the UK as a global science and technology superpower. Following the Spending Review, BEIS is currently working to set detailed R&D budgets to 2024/25. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course.

The Vaccine Manufacture and Innovation Centre (VMIC) is a private company, limited by guarantee without share capital, and as such the UK Government does not exercise any ownership rights. Questions regarding VMIC’S ownership shares should be directed to VMIC.

The UK stands ready to formalise our participation in Horizon Europe and other Union programmes, but disappointingly there have been persistent delays from the EU. Our participation in these programmes should be a “win-win” for everyone and further delays will benefit neither the UK nor EU.

Most recently, this issue was discussed at a meeting of the joint Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes on Tuesday 21st December 2021.

It was important that this Specialised Committee meet to discuss the major outstanding issue of UK association and the treatment of UK participants in the meantime. We were pleased to meet but are disappointed that delays persist, and the Commission has still not provided clarity on when this will be resolved. We will continue to press on this.

We have always been clear that our priority is to support the UK’s research and development sector and we will continue to do this in all future scenarios.

Government spending on dementia

Figures for the current financial year 2021/22 not yet available.

The Government remains open to all initiatives that will have a demonstrable positive impact on vaccine production and distribution. We do not intend to waive intellectual property rights as we believe this would have precisely the opposite effect.

Our robust international intellectual property framework protects the ability of the world’s leading scientists to come up with new ideas and innovations. This has been critical in underpinning innovators’ confidence to form over 300 vaccine manufacturing partnerships. It will allow us to continue to develop vaccines and treatments at unprecedented pace and meet our ultimate goal of saving lives, throughout the pandemic. There is no evidence that waiving intellectual property rights would help us to meet this goal. Waiving intellectual property rights would dismantle the very framework that helped to produce COVID-19 vaccines at the pace and scale now seen.

While we must continue to ensure vaccine production needs are met globally, the WHO news release of 7 October made it clear that: “With global vaccine production now at nearly 1.5 billion doses per month, there is sufficient vaccine from a supply perspective to achieve global vaccination targets”. We must therefore also focus on issues of distribution and delivery, in order to successfully vaccinate the globe and ensure we are all safe.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a domestic successor to the EU Structural Fund programme, worth over £2.6 billion. The UKSPF will help people access opportunity in places in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people in disadvantaged groups across the UK.

The Government values the insights of stakeholders from different sectors and areas across the UK, which supports the development and delivery of the fund. Since the publication of the UKSPF Heads of Terms at Spending Review 2020, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) officials have engaged widely on the UKSPF and DLUHC will continue to engage stakeholders as the fund is developed.

Furthermore, the Government’s Innovation Strategy, published in July, outlines our emerging thinking on how to ensure that research and innovation benefits the economy and society across the UK as part of Government’s objectives to level up the UK economy. The 2021 Spending Review sees record levels of investment in the UK’s world-leading research base. Government investment in research and development (R&D) will increase by £5 billion to £20 billion p.a. by 2024-25. This will not only allow the UK to build on our core strengths, but will also provide opportunities to grow research and innovation across the entire country.

The forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper will also play a critical role in setting out how R&D together with skills, infrastructure, business support and regeneration can improve living standards, grow the private sector, and increase and spread opportunity across the UK.

As the EU proposes new approaches, it will be important for the UK to respond appropriately, using our increased adaptability and freedoms as we capitalise on the opportunities of EU Exit. I look forward to scrutinising the EU’s proposal in due course.

The UK is incredibly well placed in this space, through well-established feedback mechanisms between regulated businesses, regulators and policy makers and broader work currently underway reviewing the existing regulatory framework and the important regard already paid to innovation friendly regulation in the UK Innovation Strategy’s commitments.

The UK stands ready to formalise our association to Horizon Europe at the earliest opportunity, but disappointingly there have been persistent delays from the EU.

UK participation in Horizon Europe benefits both the UK and the EU, bringing the expertise of UK researchers and innovators to vital collaborations, including those tackling global challenges such as climate change.

The regional distribution of funding under Horizon 2020 – the predecessor programme to Horizon Europe – can be seen in the table below, including for the North East and London. Horizon 2020 funding data is not available by individual cities (other than London). As Horizon Europe only recently started, data on successful bids will be reviewed as the programme progresses. UK entities are already eligible to apply ahead of formal association.

Following the Spending Review, BEIS will set R&D budgets through to 2024/25. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course.

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funds a variety of doctoral training opportunities in partnership with others, details of these can be viewed on the UKRI website here: Studentships – UKRI.

The Department for Education have also asked the Office for Students to reform the Strategic Priorities Grant for 2021-22. These reforms included the reallocation of high-cost subject funding towards the provision of high-cost subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy; science, engineering and technology subjects; and specific labour market needs. As a result, the total funding for high-cost subjects, such as medicine, engineering and other high-cost subjects, is 12% (£81m) higher in 21/22 compared to 20/21.

Details of Innovate UK grants are published on their website and can be viewed here:

Innovate UK funded projects since 2004 – UKRI.

The Government consulted on the 17 areas of the economy in which certain acquisitions will be subject to mandatory notification under the National Security and Investment Act 2021. These are specified in the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (Notifiable Acquisition) (Specification of Qualifying Entities) Regulations 2021. Vaccine manufacturing does not feature as an area in its own right but some of the activities involved in vaccine manufacturing are addressed.

Future Fund: Breakthrough has announced two investments to date, both in England. One of the companies is based in London and the other in Bristol. Details of the amounts invested are commercially confidential.

Officials are working closely with VMIC and other third parties to ensure that the UK retains a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to our response to COVID-19 and resilience to other future health emergencies. We believe VMIC will play an important role in the UK’s vaccine ecosystem. At present, these discussions are commercially sensitive.

VMIC is a private company. Mergers and acquisitions of private companies are primarily commercial matters for the parties concerned and the Government does not comment on the details of individual transactions. We remain strongly committed to support UK leadership in vaccines.

As we announced in November, the Government will invest £375 million in neurodegenerative disease research over the next five years to fund projects into a range of diseases including dementia.

The tech sector benefits from a range of support measures, including research grants and loans from Innovate UK; networks and industry contacts accessed through Catapults; and the government’s new ‘Help to Grow’ schemes that will help smaller businesses across the UK learn new skills, reach new customers and boost profits.

Companies at all stages of growth, including those operating in the tech sector, can access the advice and support they need through the Business Support Helpline, the British Business Bank’s finance hub, and government services available through GOV.UK.

Government support for the tech sector is coordinated by the Digital Economy Council, working with private sector bodies including Tech Nation and Tech UK. Tech Nation supports tech entrepreneurs at every stage of the business lifecycle. Its growth-stage programme, Upscale, is now in its seventh year and is providing 60 hours of expert support and coaching, spread over six months, to a cohort of 30 founders and senior leadership teams.

The British Business Bank crowds-in private capital to the tech sector through its commercial subsidiary, British Patient Capital (BPC), and through regional funds in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, the Midlands and the North of England. In announcing its 2021 results, BPC noted that 26 of its 51 fund investments were in the ‘venture growth’ space, defined as funds that invest at Series B onwards.

In addition to its own investments, BPC also runs Future Fund: Breakthrough, a £375 million programme focused on growth-stage companies. The fund announced its first tech investment on 17 November 2021, in the £60 million Series D round of Bristol-based Ultraleap, a provider of machine-learning-based hand tracking software.

The Government has always been clear that our priority is to support the UK’s research and development sector and maintain strong international collaborations and we will continue to do this in all future scenarios.

As announced in the 2021 Spending Review, in the event that the UK’s association to Horizon Europe is not formalised by the EU, the funding allocated to Horizon association will go to UK government R&D programmes, including those to support international partnerships.

In November, the Government announced a guarantee to provide a financial safety net for successful UK applicants to Horizon Europe, while the government continues to push to formalise our association as soon as possible. At the same time, I published an open letter to the R&D sector setting out the UK’s commitment to association, but also our priorities for supporting the sector in a scenario where association proves not possible. These build on the UK Research and Development Roadmap, which sets out a solid foundation for our plans in different scenarios.

There has been a strong response to the Life Sciences Investment Programme request for proposals, which was published on 7 July 2021. The British Business Bank is holding talks with fund managers who expressed an interest, and the first investments are expected to be announced during the first half of 2022.

The 2021 Spending Review set out the Government’s plan to increase public R&D spending to £22 billion a year by 2026/27 and restates our target for UK economy-wide R&D investment to reach 2.4% of GDP by 2027. Private investment forms around 2/3rd of current activity, so it is only by working with innovative businesses and funders from the private sector that we will reach 2.4%. The Innovation Strategy commits to using levers such as procurement, better regulation and the identification of key technologies as a means to create the conditions for private sector investment in innovation across the country.

We want to encourage businesses to invest in local economies and communities. The Innovation Strategy also outlined our thinking on how to grow innovation clusters, and to ensure that research and innovation benefits the economy and society across the UK through both systemic and targeted measures that respond to the varying needs of places. It announced £127 million in new investment through the Strength In Places Fund. This fund has pioneered bringing together consortia of diverse local actors, including business, to develop the R&D capabilities of places across the UK to improve local economic growth. The Government is investing over £300 million in 12 major projects in nations and regions across the UK, attracting an additional £340 million of investment including from private firms.

The forthcoming Levelling Up White Paper will take a comprehensive place-based approach to economic growth and will set out more detail on how the Government will support levelling up through R&D.

In the development of the Innovation Strategy, the Department worked across Government, engaging at both Ministerial and official level and with over 400 businesses and organisations across the whole of the UK.

The Innovation Expert Group, which was announced as part of the R&D Roadmap in 2020, featured representatives from innovative UK businesses and business-focused trade bodies. It played a key role in supporting the development of the UK Innovation Strategy by facilitating conversations between officials from across Whitehall and a broad spectrum of UK businesses. The discussions generated continue to help us to refine government's innovation policy thinking.

Since the Innovation Strategy was published, the Department has continued a high level of engagement with businesses.

In addition, in early 2022 and as announced in the Innovation Strategy, we will establish the Business Innovation Forum with representatives from the UK's largest R&D intensive businesses, UK startups and scaleups, and experts in the funding and commercialisation of innovation. The forum will galvanise action from the business community and provide an opportunity for officials from UKRI and other public bodies to interact with key innovation stakeholders in addition to the interaction they already undertake with industry.

The Department will also continue to facilitate bilateral conversations with UK businesses on innovation policy this year.

A breakdown of expenditure for the whole of UKRI is set out in the UKRI annual report and accounts for 2020-21 (Note 2 Page 158)^[1].

^[1] UKRI-200721-AnnualReport2020-2021.pdf

A breakdown of expenditure for the whole of UKRI is set out in the UKRI annual report and accounts for 2020-21 (Note 2 Page 158)^[1].

^[1] UKRI-200721-AnnualReport2020-2021.pdf

The Government does not propose to invest further in OneWeb. Seventy percent of OneWeb’s workforce is UK-based. In addition, the active component of OneWeb’s current generation of satellites (the payload) is manufactured in the UK by Teledyne.

OneWeb is aware of the Government’s ambition for it to further expand UK content in its satellites, including onshoring the manufacturing of its second-generation satellites.

The Government’s strategy for vaccine manufacturing and innovation can be found in the Life Sciences Vision policy paper, published in July 2021.

Officials are working closely with the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) and other third parties to ensure that the UK retains a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to our response to COVID-19 and resilience to other future health emergencies. At present, these discussions are commercially sensitive.

The National Security and Investment Act 2021, which comes into force fully on 4 January, gives the Secretary of State powers to intervene in acquisitions of control of certain entities and assets that have given rise to or may give rise to a risk to national security. In addition, the Enterprise Act 2002 was amended in 2020 to allow the Secretary of State to intervene in mergers and takeovers on the public interest grounds of maintaining in the United Kingdom the capability to combat, and to mitigate the effects of, public health emergencies.

The Government’s strategy for vaccine manufacturing and innovation can be found in the Life Sciences Vision policy paper, published in July 2021.

Officials are working closely with the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) and other third parties to ensure that the UK retains a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to our response to COVID-19 and resilience to other future health emergencies. At present, these discussions are commercially sensitive.

The National Security and Investment Act 2021, which comes into force fully on 4 January, gives the Secretary of State powers to intervene in acquisitions of control of certain entities and assets that have given rise to or may give rise to a risk to national security. In addition, the Enterprise Act 2002 was amended in 2020 to allow the Secretary of State to intervene in mergers and takeovers on the public interest grounds of maintaining in the United Kingdom the capability to combat, and to mitigate the effects of, public health emergencies.

We have already secured the doses we need for everyone in the UK who requires a booster this Winter, but, like every responsible government, we continue to plan for all possible future scenarios. The UK is proactively managing our vaccine supply and we are in regular contact with the vaccine manufacturers.

The Government’s strategy for vaccine manufacturing and innovation can be found in the Life Sciences Vision policy paper, published in July 2021.

Officials are working closely with the Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) and other third parties to ensure that the UK retains a strong domestic vaccine manufacturing capability to contribute to our response to COVID-19 and resilience to other future health emergencies. At present, these discussions are commercially sensitive.

The National Security and Investment Act 2021, which comes into force fully on 4 January, gives the Secretary of State powers to intervene in acquisitions of control of certain entities and assets that have given rise to or may give rise to a risk to national security. In addition, the Enterprise Act 2002 was amended in 2020 to allow the Secretary of State to intervene in mergers and takeovers on the public interest grounds of maintaining in the United Kingdom the capability to combat, and to mitigate the effects of, public health emergencies.

The Future Fund issued loans under a Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA) on standard terms. This is a public document, available on the British Business Bank’s website. Section 5(a) of the CLA sets out the criteria for conversion, which occurs automatically three years after the date of the CLA or earlier in the event of a sale of the company or a funding round. The CLA also defines the conditions associated with the equity shares, which depend on the event that triggered the conversion.

The latest available data from the British Business Bank (BBB) is available here: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/covid-19-emergency-loan-schemes-repayment-data/.

The latest available data from the British Business Bank (BBB) is available here: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/covid-19-emergency-loan-schemes-repayment-data/.

Analysis is underway, and no reliable conclusions can be drawn from the analysis so far.

Across the UK, 251,342 applications for a CBIL were made; 109,877 were successful. As of our final evaluation of July 2021, 87,809 Coronavirus Business Interruption loans (CBIL) have been offered in England, to the value of £23.03bn. 919 loans were offered to the companies in the North East of England to the value of £694,592,700.

As of our final evaluation of the scheme of July 6 2021, 1,357,116 Bounce Back Loans have been offered in England, to the value of £41.47bn. In the North East of England, 48,262 loans were offered to the value of £1,341,695,001.

Across the UK, 2,094,858 applications for a Bounce Back Loan were made; 1,560,309 were successful. We do not hold this data at regional level.

The Follow-On Interim Evaluation of the Pilot Innovation Loans Programme will be published shortly.

The pilot programme’s interim evaluation has focused on:

1. What is the interest in, and demand for, Innovation Loans?

2. What is the nature of the businesses applying, and the projects which form the focus of the applications for funding?

3. What would have happened to the innovation projects supported if they had not been offered these loans?

4. How effective are the processes of implementation and what are the experiences of the customer journey?

5. What evidence is there of progress towards the achievement of intended outputs, outcomes, and impacts?

Future Fund: Breakthrough is a £375 million, UK-wide programme that invests alongside private investors to increase the size of later-stage funding rounds. On 17 November 2021, British Patient Capital announced the first investment under this programme, as part of a £60 million Series D funding round for Bristol-based company Ultraleap. There is no upper limit for round size and hence future investments may be in rounds above the £100 million threshold identified by the Council for Science and Technology.

The Life Sciences Investment Programme is a £200 million government commitment, aiming to attract at least £600 million of investment in total to be deployed within 10-15 years. It is a targeted, sectoral intervention to address the sector-specific funding gap faced by growth-stage life sciences companies in the UK. The programme will invest in funds rather than individual companies, with the aim of enabling the emergence and development of specialist UK-based fund managers.

Both Future Fund: Breakthrough and the Life Sciences Investment Programme are administered by British Patient Capital, a commercial subsidiary of the government-owned British Business Bank.

In addition to these specific programmes, the Government is considering the analysis and recommendations made by the Council for Science and Technology and is engaging with institutional investors to explore the scope for an increased allocation of investment capital to research-intensive UK companies, particularly for scale-up investments over £100 million. This builds on the actions set out in the Government’s Innovation Strategy, published in July, to support access to scale-up finance for innovative science and technology companies.

All Innovate UK grants and loans are made public via (Innovate UK funded projects since 2004 – UKRI ). Transparency data also includes the location and region that the company is registered in.

Funding decisions by UK Research and Innovation are based on the quality of applications and value for money to the taxpayer.

A total of 1,190 Future Fund applications were successfully completed. The number of Convertible Loan Agreements (CLAs) issued in each region of the UK is provided in the table below. A total of 655 applications for the Future Fund were unsuccessful. A regional breakdown of these applications is not available as the information has not been verified.

The location of Future Fund applicants broadly reflects the distribution of equity investment across the UK. The British Business Bank addresses regional disparities in access to finance through its regional investment funds and the Regional Angels Programme, both of which were extended at the recent Spending Review.

Note: The ‘Other’ category includes companies based in the Channel Islands and companies that participated in an accelerator programme that mandated incorporation of the ultimate parent company in a non-UK jurisdiction.

The distribution of convertible loans made by the Future Fund broadly follows the pattern of equity investment across the UK. The British Business Bank’s 2020/21 Small Business Finance Markets report showed that companies outside London received 44% of equity investment by value in 2020. In the case of the Future Fund, 41% of loans by value were advanced to companies based outside London. As a rules-based scheme, the Future Fund was not set up to address disparities in equity finance across regions. All valid applications were approved, regardless of the location of the company.

Of the 158 companies converted as of 31 August 2021, 68 (43%) were based outside London. No reliable conclusions can be drawn from the small number of conversions that have taken place so far.

The government is providing the fastest ever sustained uplift in R&D funding, reaching £20bn per annum by the end of the SR period – £5bn more than 2021/22.

The significant rise in public R&D spending to £20bn by 2024/25, with a clear commitment to £22bn by 2026/27, provides a firm foundation for us to reach the target, but we cannot achieve it alone: it is only by working with innovative businesses and funders from the private sector that we will reach 2.4%. The government is doing its bit to reach the target, with record levels of public sector investment and a generous R&D tax credits scheme. Total government support for R&D (expenditure and R&D tax credits) is forecast to rise from 0.7% of GDP in 2018 to 1.1% in 2024-25, which is well above the latest OECD average of 0.7%.

We have set out our approach to attract increased private investment, for example in the R&D Roadmap last year and in the Innovation Strategy this year.

The UK is a world leader in Mathematics. British mathematicians publish a large volume of highly regarded work. When compared to international colleagues, British mathematicians have the 5th largest share of publications in the world. When looking at the top 1% of most cited publications, UK mathematicians are responsible for the third largest share.

Between Financial Year 2015-2016 and September 2021, EPSRC committed £259.9m to research grants Mathematical Sciences. This includes commitment from the Additional Funding Programme. At this current time, EPSRC are unable to make a direct comparison to international averages.

Following the Government’s announcement in January 2020 to invest additional funding into Mathematical Sciences, UKRI has awarded around £104 million of additional funding to the discipline, over and above EPSRC’s core Mathematical Sciences Theme budget. The additional funding has covered institutes, small and large research grants, fellowships, doctoral studentships and postdoctoral awards.

On the 27 October 2021, the Government announced the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review. BEIS and UKRI will now set out how we meet the commitment to invest additional funding into Mathematical sciences in forthcoming years, as part of the allocations process.

The UK is a world leader in Mathematics. British mathematicians publish a large volume of highly regarded work. When compared to international colleagues, British mathematicians have the 5th largest share of publications in the world. When looking at the top 1% of most cited publications, UK mathematicians are responsible for the third largest share.

Between Financial Year 2015-2016 and September 2021, EPSRC committed £259.9m to research grants Mathematical Sciences. This includes commitment from the Additional Funding Programme.

At this current time, EPSRC are unable to make a direct comparison to international averages.

Managing reactive power services is the responsibility of National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO). NGESO instructs generators or other asset owners to either absorb or generate reactive power.

NGESO periodically updates BEIS and Ofgem on this as part of our regular schedule of engagement to understand electricity system operability matters.

NGESO will publish its annual Operability Strategy Report by the end of the year, which considers system needs such as reactive power and how these needs will be met in the future.

The Government is keen to see that all postmasters whose Horizon convictions are overturned are fairly compensated as quickly as possible. On 22 July Government announced that it would be providing funding for Post Office to make interim payments of up to £100k to eligible postmasters who were subject to criminal proceedings linked to the Post Office Horizon IT system and whose Horizon convictions have subsequently been quashed. Only postmasters who have been subject to such proceedings are therefore eligible for these compensation payments.

The requested information is provided in the table below:

The Government is providing the fastest ever sustained uplift in R&D funding, reaching £20bn per annum by the end of the SR period – £5bn more than 2021/22. We remain committed to the target of UK economy-wide R&D investment reaching 2.4% of GDP by 2027. The UK already has world-class science and research and is ranked as one of the most innovative countries in the world.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help people access opportunity in places in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people in disadvantaged groups across the UK.

Further details on the UKSPF will be published in due course.

The record level of investment announced for the UK research base at the Spending Review lays the strong foundation to realise our ambition to make the UK the most exciting place in the world for top research and innovation talent.

In July, the Government published the R&D People and Culture Strategy, which sets out our actions to attract, retain and develop talented people, making sure R&D careers in the UK are appealing to talented individuals and teams both domestically and internationally. This includes reviewing restrictions and costs and developing our understanding of the impact of the cost of moving to the UK on researchers, their teams and their families.

In line with the strategy, we are working with the Home Office to drive reforms to improve high skilled migration routes for innovators, entrepreneurs and top talent and we are working with the Office for Talent to launch an online service to attract highly skilled, international talent.

The record level of investment announced for the UK research base at the Spending Review lays the strong foundation to realise our ambition to make the UK the most exciting place in the world for top research and innovation talent.

In July, the Government published the R&D People and Culture Strategy, which sets out our actions to attract, retain and develop talented people, making sure R&D careers in the UK are appealing to talented individuals and teams both domestically and internationally.

In line with the strategy, we are working with the Home Office to drive reforms to improve high skilled migration routes for innovators, entrepreneurs and top talent and we are working with the Office for Talent to launch an online service to attract highly skilled, international talent. The strategy recognises the need to identify skills gaps, anticipate future needs, and ensure we have the workforce the UK needs, and commits to action to support STEM education and careers.

The budget for the Advanced Research & Invention Agency is included in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy R&D budget set out in Table 2.2 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 Red Book. For the 2024-25 budget, this is included in the £20bn.

The record level of investment announced for the UK research base at the Spending Review lays the strong foundation to realise our ambition to make the UK the most exciting place in the world for top research and innovation talent.

In July, the Government published the R&D People and Culture Strategy, which sets out our actions to attract, retain and develop talented people, making sure R&D careers in the UK are appealing to talented individuals and teams both domestically and internationally. It recognises the need to identify skills gaps, anticipate future needs, and ensure we have the workforce the UK needs, and commits to action to support STEM education and careers.

In line with the strategy, we are working with the Home Office to drive reforms to improve high skilled migration routes for innovators, entrepreneurs and top talent, and we are working with the Office for Talent to launch an online service to attract highly skilled, international talent.

The Global Britain Investment Fund (GBIF) will provide grants to encourage internationally mobile companies to invest in the UK’s critical and most innovative industries, where the UK has natural strengths and geographic spread. For example, the GBIF will cover the automotive sector, which has key regional clusters in the West Midlands, North West, and North East, as well as the life sciences sector, which currently has two thirds of jobs already located outside of London and the South East. Also included is the offshore wind sector, which is attracting significant new investment to our coastal communities, including floating offshore wind in Scotland and Wales.

Table 2.2 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 Red Book relates to departmental R&D budgets.

Funding for the Advanced Research & Invention Agency is R&D spend and has its own ringfence, so does not come from either the Core Research or Innovate UK ringfences listed in table 2.2.

Funding for Help to Grow, and the Future Fund: Breakthrough is not R&D spend and they will be funded from the Programme and Financial Transactions Capital budget respectively.

We understand this question to be based on the Table 2.2 of the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 Red Book which refers to overall Government R&D expenditure. In which case only a) Core Research, b) Innovate UK and c) EU Programme Association are relevant to BEIS.

The Core Research ringfence was only established by HM Treasury at the 2020 Spending Review. As a result we do not have an exact historical comparison over the last five years, but the majority of this funding is made up of UKRI Council funding. UKRI publishes details of its expenditure by Council, including Innovate UK, in its Annual Report and Accounts, which can be found in the House of Commons Library.

BEIS has allocated £1.3billion to fund EU programmes in 2021/22. Previously this was funded directly by HMT as part of our membership of the European Union

The Resource DEL outturn for all BEIS spend over the last five years was as follows;

Please note that 2020/21 figures have yet to be signed off by the annual audit process and may be subject to change

The Global Britain Investment Fund will be funded from a variety of sources, but funding will not come from either the Core Research or Innovate UK ringfences.

Officials from BEIS and UKGI meet regularly with Post Office and their legal representatives to discuss Horizon related issues. These discussions have included issues related to interim compensation payments.

The policy lead for the semiconductor sector rests with my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Software vendors need to apply to be part of the Help to Grow Digital Scheme. The vendor eligibility criteria for wave 1 was published on 29 July and is available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/help-to-grow-digital-apply-to-become-a-vendor. The eligibility criteria is designed to ensure that small and medium businesses benefit from high-quality products. Eligible vendors must match the best market price available for their software and offer the same incentives such as trial periods and temporary discounts.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given by my Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to the Hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife on 22 December 2020 to Question 129026 and on 27 January 2021 to Question 144646.

The Post Office has received 57 applications for interim payments. Post Office has made offers in 52 cases and made 43 payments so far. Other claims are progressing. Payments made to date have all been for maximum amount of £100,000. There have been 3 cases where interim payments were declined. Applications for interim payments are considered on a case-by-case basis. Individuals can pursue claims should they wish irrespective of whether or not they receive an interim payment.

Officials from BEIS and UKGI meet regularly with Post Office and their legal representatives to discuss Horizon related issues. These discussions have included issues related to interim compensation payments. The application form for interim compensation payment allows postmasters to provide details to Post Office of any issues, which may include hardship, that they consider Post Office should take into account when assessing an application.

An agency worker can qualify for equal treatment after working for 12 weeks in the same role with the same hirer. From April 2020 the Government banned the use of “Swedish Derogation” contracts. This ensures that agency workers cannot be pressured to opt out of their right to equal pay with permanent counterparts after the twelve-week qualifying period in the same role with the same hirer. While I cannot comment on individual cases, if somebody believes these requirements have not been met then it is open to them to seek redress through the Employment Tribunals system.

Ofgem estimate that 255,000 domestic customers and a small number of non-domestic customers are affected by Green Energy Company exiting the retail energy market. Ofgem runs the Supplier of Last Resort process with the aim of getting the best deal for consumers.

BEIS Ministers have not met with Green Energy Company employees. Energy suppliers have a duty to inform both Ofgem and their employees before exiting the market. Government help and support, including training and finding new employment is delivered by the Job Centre Plus Rapid Response Service and is available to all employees affected by energy suppliers exiting the market. For more information on government support visit the gov.uk website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-help-finding-work-and-claiming-benefits.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I held a roundtable on 21 September 2021 with smaller and challenger energy suppliers, including Green Energy Company. It is Ofgem, the independent regulator responsibility to engage with suppliers considering exiting the market.

In a competitive market, it is normal from time to time for energy suppliers who cannot finance their activities to exit the retail energy market.

On 20 September 2021 a roundtable was held with leading energy suppliers and consumer groups to hear about the challenges they currently face, and on 21 September a roundtable was held with smaller and challenger energy suppliers.

The Government wants to see a diverse energy market with many smaller and challenger energy suppliers bringing an improvement to customers. The biggest danger to a diverse market is the threat of renationalisation which would raise prices and damage investment.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I held a roundtable on 21 September 2021 with smaller and challenger energy suppliers, including Green Energy Company.

In the coming days, the Government will set out the next steps for protecting consumers, businesses and energy suppliers from these global price rises.

Where international traders trade in or target their activities at the UK, they are generally subject to UK consumer protection law and consumers are able to rely on a strong set of consumer rights. The UK Government does not hold information on the commercial arrangements of international couriers or international retailers. The Government is seeking to enhance global cooperation on consumer protection, through our trade policy and the Competition and Markets Authority’s work in international fora.

Where international traders trade in or target their activities at the UK, they are generally subject to UK consumer protection law and consumers are able to rely on a strong set of consumer rights. The UK Government does not hold information on the commercial arrangements of international couriers or international retailers. The Government is seeking to enhance global cooperation on consumer protection, through our trade policy and the Competition and Markets Authority’s work in international fora.

The Government’s investment was not predicated on OneWeb’s ability to provide PNT services. Future generations of OneWeb satellites may have the ability to enhance the resilience of a sovereign UK PNT system, together with terrestrial options.

The North East Local Enterprise Partnership and Tees Valley Combined Authority are jointly working to promote the scheme via local press, social media, e-newsletters, their websites, and targeted campaigns. The Made Smarter Adoption model is being independently evaluated through the Made Smarter North West Pilot, which ran from 2019 to 2021.

The Department is in regular communication with the Information Commissioner’s Office and other interested parties on matters relating to competition. We are currently consulting on the design of a new digital competition regime including new powers for the CMA to tackle problems in digital markets. BEIS is working with DCMS, ICO and others to ensure coherence across the work of different regulators.

The CMA is independent from Government and so BEIS did not contribute to the specific report on ‘Algorithms: How they can reduce competitions and harm consumers’.

The Department has assessed the benefits of SMEs increased adoption of technology, including evidence set out in the HMG Business Productivity Review, that strongly suggests that the productivity gains of technology adoption are likely to be significant. As such, I believe the scheme will provide a high degree of value for money and we will carry out robust monitoring and evaluation work to ensure this.

Software vendors need to apply to be approved onto the Help to Grow Scheme, which includes eligibility criteria designed to ensure that SMEs benefit from high-quality products. Approved vendors will need to provide SMEs with a clear pricing structure that is consistent between their advertised price and Help to Grow: Digital price and will need offer the same level of discounts or trial period and other incentives to SMEs as advertised to its other customers.

BEIS is making £0.6m of funding available for Made Smarter Adoption support for SME manufacturers into the North East which will play a crucial role in delivering key BEIS and Government objectives.

This funding will support recovery and resilience following Covid-19; create long term growth for manufacturers by driving productivity and competitiveness and encourage more firms to get on the road to innovation; support levelling up across the North East and help drive down carbon emissions from manufacturing sectors.

The £0.6m funding will enable around 100 manufacturing SMEs in this region to gain increased awareness of industrial digitalisation with 88 in the region being able to access intensive advice. This is projected to generate a net GVA increase of £3.1m and in turn generate a discounted Net Social Benefit (NSB) of £1.9m. There will not be separate ring-fenced funding allocations for (a) small and (b) medium sized firms.

Helping to protect the income of Postmasters is important to the department and we welcome the improvements outlined in the Mails Distribution Agreement (MDA).

The improvements will mean that whenever Royal Mail put up customer prices, Postmasters will see the benefit – with interim tariff payments for price increases earlier this year already being paid to Postmasters.

The Department has considered research, including the Government’s Business Productivity Review and from the Enterprise Research Centre and Office for National Statistics, which shows that technology adoption is strongly linked with significant productivity growth.

Dedicated communications and marketing activity to promote the Help to Grow Digital scheme and the benefits of technology adoption will commence when the scheme launches in Autumn 2021.

Help to Grow: Digital will launch in Autumn 2021 and therefore has not disbursed any funds to date. It is expected to disburse £296 million over three years up to 2024/25.

Help to Grow: Management delivered its first course on 5 July. The total cost of the programme is £220 million up to 2024/25. Approximately £62 million of this funding is expected to be disbursed in 2021/22.

Over the next three years, Help to Grow: Digital will support up to 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses with online advice and a voucher to help meet software costs.

Help to Grow: Management will support up to 30,000 small and medium-sized businesses leaders from across the UK to increase productivity, seize investment opportunities and grow their business.

Help to Grow: Digital has a budget of £296 million over the three years of the scheme.

Help to Grow: Management has a budget of £220 million over the next three years.

The effectiveness of both Help to Grow programmes will be assessed on the productivity benefits gained by SMEs, and early indicators of success based on criteria such as successful tech adoption and increased use of management practices within their business. Data on the geographical spread of participating SMEs, and their outcomes, will be part of the monitoring and evaluation.

Delivery charges are agreed between the retailer and the delivery/courier company. These are commercial decisions. We already have robust consumer legislation in place to ensure that when making a purchase online, retailers provide clear and upfront information about delivery charges and restrictions before the consumer makes a purchase. Breaches of the legislation should be reported in the first instance to the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133, or https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/.

The Government does not comment on the detail of commercial transactions.

Future Fund: Breakthrough will encourage private investors to co-invest with government in high-growth, innovative firms.

The fund will provide equity funding to innovative, R&D-intensive UK companies operating in breakthrough technology sectors, including life sciences. The process of securing Future Fund: Breakthrough funding is demand-led: lead investors must apply to the Fund on behalf of the company seeking investment. There are no ringfences for particular sectors.

Last year, we published our ambitious Research and Development Roadmap, setting out our long-term vision for the R&D system, including cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, embracing diversity in the R&D workforce, levelling up across the UK, embracing innovation, and boosting international collaboration.

This year we are investing £14.9 billion in research and development in 2021/22 across government, putting UK Government R&D spending at its highest level in four decades.

The next Spending Review will set out plans for future R&D funding. Our investment in R&D will support our Roadmap commitments and helps consolidate our position as a science superpower, as we build towards increasing public expenditure on R&D to £22bn and delivering on our target to increase total UK R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

An Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance chaired by my Hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch MP) is underway with its work. It is a root-and-branch examination of football in this country, looking at the financial sustainability of the football pyramid, governance regulations, and the merits of an independent regulator. It will also consider the current Owners’ and Directors’ test, and the transparency and accountability of that process.

Responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. As an independent authority, it is for the CMA to decide which cases to investigate, which it does according to its prioritisation principles. The CMA may also carry out detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well and take remedial action to address features of markets which restrict competition. It is for the CMA to determine the information to be published regarding the discharge of its regulatory functions.

On Monday 5 July, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out the details of the final stage of the roadmap and our approach for managing Covid as we learn to live with the virus. The ‘Working Safely’ guidance was updated on 14 July in advance of moving to step 4. Isolation remains the most important action people can take to stop the spread of the virus. It is crucial people isolate immediately when they are told to do so. Businesses should be supporting employees to self-isolate.

From 16 August, those who are fully vaccinated will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are a close contact of a positive case. Instead, they will be advised to take a PCR test. Until these changes come into effect, it is essential that everyone continues to observe the rules to protect those who are not yet fully vaccinated or are clinically vulnerable. Anyone who tests positive will still need to self-isolate regardless of their vaccination status.

In order to protect the delivery of public services, a very limited number of named critical workers will be informed that they are considered to have reasonable excuse to leave self-isolation if they are contacts. This will only apply to workers who are fully vaccinated (someone who is 14 days post-second dose) and is solely for the purpose of going to work.

This is a small and targeted intervention, enabling individuals to attend work where not doing so would lead to major detrimental impact on the availability, integrity or delivery of essential services – including services whose integrity, if compromised, could result in significant loss of life or casualties, and/or attend work where not doing so would result in significant impact on national security, defence, or the functioning of the state.

The analysis of final Coronavirus loan scheme data was published on July 6, 2021 on the British Business Bank website.[1]

Under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, 136 loans were delivered in the Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency, to the sum of £47,292,585. The average value of loan was £347,739.59.

Under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, 2,635 loans were delivered in the Newcastle upon Tyne Central constituency to the sum of £81,819,93. The average value of loan was £3,105.12.

[1] https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/analysis-of-final-coronavirus-loan-scheme-data-shows-79-3bn-of-loans-to-1-67m-businesses-evenly-distributed-across-whole-of-the-uk/

An Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance, chaired by my Hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch MP) is underway . It is a root-and-branch examination of football in this country, looking at the financial sustainability of the football pyramid, governance regulations, and the merits of an independent regulator. It will also consider the current Owners’ and Directors’ test, and the transparency and accountability of that process.

Responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. As an independent authority, it is for the CMA to decide which cases to investigate, which it does according to its prioritisation principles. The CMA may also carry out detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well and take remedial action to address features of markets which restrict competition. It is for the CMA to determine the information to be published regarding the discharge of its regulatory functions.

We are aware of the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia, and the Government has been in close contact with Newport Wafer Fab throughout.

We are unable to comment on the detail of commercial transactions, or of national security assessments. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely and will not hesitate to take action if needed.

The smart metering Data Access and Privacy Framework protects consumers’ privacy and set outs the levels of access to energy consumption data from smart meters permitted for different parties. The Framework ensures that households have control over who can access their energy consumption data and for what purposes, except where this is required for regulated purposes.

Energy suppliers and networks are permitted under their Licence Conditions to access energy consumption data for narrowly defined regulatory purposes.

Energy suppliers can access data for purposes including billing, meeting a customer request for access to their data, responding to an enquiry or complaint by a customer, and where they have reasonable grounds to suspect and investigate theft.

Energy networks can access granular consumption data to support the safe and efficient management and reinforcement of energy networks, provided they have a consumer’s consent or implement strict data protection procedures approved by Ofgem.

Information must be made available to consumers on which energy consumption data will be accessed and for what purpose.

An Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance chaired by my Hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford is underway with its work. It is a root-and-branch examination of football in this country, looking at the financial sustainability of the football pyramid, governance regulations, and the merits of an independent regulator. It will also consider the current Owners’ and Directors’ test, and the transparency and accountability of that process.

Under competition law, responsibility for investigating individual and market-wide competition issues falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s competition authority. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers and expertise to investigate and take action against businesses that abuse dominant positions in markets, for instance, by unfairly excluding competitors or exploiting consumers. In the regulated sectors, these competition powers are also exercisable by the relevant sector-specific regulators. The CMA may also carry out detailed examinations of why particular markets may not be working well and take remedial action to fix features of markets which restrict competition. Most sector-specific regulators in monopoly sectors have a legal duty to promote competition for the benefit of consumers (or equivalent).

There has been Ministerial engagement throughout the UKRI open access review.

Ensuring open access policy is as permissive as possible for researchers whilst also achieving public value and affordability, and taking account of the changing landscape in publishing agreements in the UK are all key considerations of the review.

We will publish a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy ahead of COP26, setting out the Government’s vision for transitioning to a net zero economy. This will raise ambition as we outline our path to meet net zero by 2050, our Carbon Budgets and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

BEIS is due to publish a new space weather strategy later this year. This will set out a five-year roadmap on the steps we will take to further enhance the UK’s resilience to major space weather events.

The Department is unable to provide a detailed breakdown of loan recipients under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) or the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) as this information is commercially sensitive for borrowers.

Details of facilities made available under the schemes have been published where required by the European Commission’s Transparency Aid Module at the following website: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/competition/transparency/public?lang=en.

However this data will only show the region where the business is located. Further information on data reporting can be found on the British Business Bank’s website: https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-schemes/data-reporting/.

As of 7 June 2021, the total number of loans taken up under the schemes by businesses in Newcastle Upon Tyne Central is as follows:

The UKRI Open Access Review has included a series of consultation stages and analysis. The final policy recommendations are now moving through the final agreement process and the outcomes of the Review will be published as soon as the process is complete. It is anticipated that these will be published this summer.

I recognise the pandemic’s impact on the research sector, and the ability of the research sector to adapt to any new arrangements has been an important consideration throughout the UKRI Open Access Review. I can assure you that this has been taken into account in the formation of the policy and implementation considerations.

For peer-reviewed research articles the proposed policy start date will be 1 April 2022, while the policy for monographs is proposed to start from 1 January 2024. UKRI will work closely with stakeholders in the lead up to the policy start dates to ensure any questions or issues are addressed.

The UKRI Open Access Review has included a series of consultation stages and analysis. The final policy recommendations are now moving through the final agreement process and the outcomes of the Review will be published as soon as the process is complete. It is anticipated that these will be published this summer.

I recognise the pandemic’s impact on the research sector, and the ability of the research sector to adapt to any new arrangements has been an important consideration throughout the UKRI Open Access Review. I can assure you that this has been taken into account in the formation of the policy and implementation considerations.

For peer-reviewed research articles the proposed policy start date will be 1 April 2022, while the policy for monographs is proposed to start from 1 January 2024. UKRI will work closely with stakeholders in the lead up to the policy start dates to ensure any questions or issues are addressed.

The Competition and Markets Authority is independent of the government, with a remit to tackle individual and market-wide competition issues, including breaches of competition law. The CMA is currently active in digital markets, but we intend to strengthen its ability to tackle digital competition issues. This why the Government committed in November 2020 to establish a new digital competition regime, to be overseen by a Digital Markets Unit within the CMA, to tackle the market power of dominant digital platforms. We will consult on the new regime and legislate to put the Digital Markets Unit on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Smart meters are replacing traditional gas and electricity meters in Great Britain as part of an essential infrastructure upgrade to make the energy system more efficient and flexible, enabling the cost-effective delivery of net zero greenhouse gas emissions.

The Government has put in place a strict Data Access and Privacy Framework that protects consumers’ privacy and set outs the levels of access to energy consumption data from smart meters permitted for different parties. The Framework ensures that households have control over who can access their energy consumption data and for what purposes, except where this is required for regulated purposes (such as accurate billing).

Consumers can also choose to share their data with third parties for example to obtain tailored energy efficiency advice. Where third parties are accessing consumption data via the smart metering network they must have the consumer’s consent which consumers can withdraw at any time. In addition to the specific protections of the Framework, all parties are required to comply with relevant data protection laws when processing personal data.

On average, the Royal Society funds 30 new FLAIR fellowships per year through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). Thirty fellowships were awarded for the 2020 cohort, and these will continue receiving full funding throughout this year. The Royal Society will not be funding any new FLAIR fellowships for this year.

The purpose of the Inquiry is to understand and acknowledge what went wrong in relation to Horizon and to ensure that there is a public summary of the failings that occurred at Post Office Ltd. At the Inquiry’s outset its Terms of Reference were published, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-office-horizon-it-inquiry-2020/terms-of-reference.

The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’s Terms of Reference state that the Inquiry will only consider the matters set out in its Terms of Reference.

All information relating to how funding allocations for business support grants is contained within guidance that has been issued to local authorities and which is available on GOV.UK. All allocations figures are also available on GOV.UK.

LRSG (Open) allocations to local authorities were based on a government estimate of the number of in-scope business premises. This drew on data provided by the Valuation Office Agency which gave the number of business hereditaments in the local rating lists in the relevant sectors by local authority. Local authorities were asked to use their own understanding of local businesses to determine eligibility. This was a discretionary scheme meaning central government did not mandate which businesses a local authority was required to support.

For the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) scheme, Local Authorities received an initial one-off lump sum payment amounting to £20 per head of residential population in each eligible Local Authority area when Tier 3 or widespread national restrictions in November were imposed, whichever was the earliest date. This calculation was based on ONS 2019 Mid-Year Population Estimate for the total population within a local authority. If an area agreed an enhanced package before National Lockdown, then that negotiated amount was honoured. A subsequent top-up to ARG of £500m in January 2021 was also based on the same calculation.

In March, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a further £425 million top up to ARG would be made available to those local authorities that had spent their initial two allocations. This tranche of ARG will be allocated on the basis of business population in an area, rather than residential numbers and will only be unlocked where expenditure requirements on the first two tranches are met.

The Restart Grants allocations have been made on the basis of an estimate of the number of business hereditaments in the specified sectors covered by the grant scheme. This estimate has been informed by Valuation Office Agency data on business hereditaments in the local rating lists, but local authorities are the decision makers on whether specific businesses are eligible or not. The Government paid 90% of this estimated total to Local Authorities and are committed to provide further top ups if required to cover all businesses in scope.

The Vaccine Taskforce brought onboard specialist communications support as contingent labour using the Public Sector Resourcing framework, rather than signing a contract with Admiral as a company. This contingent labour ceased involvement with the Vaccine Taskforce at the end of 2020.

Details of commercial arrangements with all firms and contract labour used by the Vaccine Taskforce have been published in line with the usual transparency arrangements.

The Government recognises the impact the pandemic has had on hospitality businesses including wet led pubs. That is why we have provided an unprecedented support package of £352 billion including grants, loans, business rates relief, VAT cuts and the job retention scheme. Pubs are eligible for our restart grants of up to £18,000 to help them recover and reopen.

The Government recognises the impact the pandemic has had on hospitality businesses including independent pubs. That is why we have provided an unprecedented support package of £352 billion including grants, loans, business rates relief, VAT cuts and the job retention scheme. In order to help pubs recover and reopen, we are providing restart grants of up to £18,000.

Our association to Horizon will give UK scientists and innovators access to the largest collaborative research funding scheme in the world.

The UK has agreed to participate in the whole of the Horizon Europe programme, except the European Innovation Council Fund.

The work programmes for parts of Horizon Europe have not been finalised by the EU, however under the Horizon Europe regulations, access to calls may be restricted to entities established in EU Member States in certain cases. We expect these cases to be exceptional.

We engage with the Commission on a range of topics relating to Horizon Europe, including supporting research collaboration between the UK and EU, timing of funding opportunities under Horizon Europe and potential exclusions.

Our association to Horizon will give UK scientists and innovators access to the largest collaborative research funding scheme in the world.

The UK has agreed to participate in the whole of the Horizon Europe programme, except the European Innovation Council Fund.

The work programmes for parts of Horizon Europe have not been finalised by the EU, however under the Horizon Europe regulations, access to calls may be restricted to entities established in EU Member States in certain cases. We expect these cases to be exceptional.

We engage with the Commission on a range of topics relating to Horizon Europe, including supporting research collaboration between the UK and EU, timing of funding opportunities under Horizon Europe and potential exclusions.

I am grateful to have the paper brought to my attention. The National Cyber Security Centre continue to focus on the security and reliability of computer systems and conduct research, working with research institutes, in order to maintain and develop current understanding.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.