Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on future uses of the NHS Test and Trace database system.
Answered by Paul Scully
No assessment has yet been made, nor any decisions made, on whether to use the data systems used by NHS Test and Trace for other purposes beyond those related to Covid-19. Any work to assess potential future uses of these data systems would be met from within the financial resources already allocated to NHS Test and Trace for the 2021/22 financial year.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) competitiveness of electricity prices in the UK and (b) effect of those prices on the UK steel sector’s ability to compete internationally.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. The ability for our industries to be able to compete across Europe and globally is a priority for this Government.
The Government has put moving to a cleaner, greener economy at the heart of its Industrial Strategy, especially with our commitment to Net Zero. Our aim is to work with the steel sector and help them to reduce carbon emissions. We will continue to support the steel sector in achieving these aims through the various funds available such as the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund and Clean Steel Fund.
We estimate that reduction in the various renewable costs for eligible energy intensive industries, including steel, will save them around £400m a year in electricity costs. We have also extended the schemes to compensate certain energy intensive industries for indirect emission cost to the end of the next financial year in order to minimise disruption to existing recipients whilst we conduct a review. Between 2013 and 2019, total compensation paid to the steel sector was over £480m.
We welcome the recent report by UK Steel - “Closing the Gap” - regarding electricity prices and will give its recommendations careful consideration.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the recommendations made by UK Steel in its February 2021 report, Closing the Gap, on reducing the disparity between the UK and the German and French industrial electricity prices.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We welcome this report and will give its recommendations careful consideration.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Targeted Charging Review proposals on the UK steel sector.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Network charging is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator, and decisions on its Targeted Charging Review (TCR) are for it to make. Through the TCR, Ofgem is seeking to ensure all parties connected to the electricity network make a fair contribution to its fixed costs. This is consistent with Government’s views on the importance of an energy system that ensures a fair distribution of costs, with solutions rewarded where they contribute to reduced system costs.
Ofgem has published an analysis of the expected impacts of the TCR reforms at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/electricity/transmission-networks/charging/targeted-charging-review-significant-code-review . Ofgem is working to implement the reforms by April 2022 through code changes, with the final aspects of those code changes being consulted on shortly.
The Government continues to engage with Ofgem to inform our understanding of the reforms’ policy implications, and we will also give careful consideration to the related recommendations of the recent UK Steel report “Closing the Gap”.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of Ofgem’s proposed reforms under the Targeting Charging Review on costs for steel companies; and what plans Ofgem has to review those proposals.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Network charging is a matter for Ofgem, as the independent regulator, and decisions on its Targeted Charging Review (TCR) are for it to make. Through the TCR, Ofgem is seeking to ensure all parties connected to the electricity network make a fair contribution to its fixed costs. This is consistent with Government’s views on the importance of an energy system that ensures a fair distribution of costs, with solutions rewarded where they contribute to reduced system costs.
Ofgem has published an analysis of the expected impacts of the TCR reforms at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/electricity/transmission-networks/charging/targeted-charging-review-significant-code-review . Ofgem is working to implement the reforms by April 2022 through code changes, with the final aspects of those code changes being consulted on shortly.
The Government continues to engage with Ofgem to inform our understanding of the reforms’ policy implications, and we will also give careful consideration to the related recommendations of the recent UK Steel report “Closing the Gap”.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking in addition to Budget 2020 measures to support science funding and R&D tax credits by increasing the incentives for advanced medicines manufacturing in the UK.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The UK has world leading science and research capabilities and we have already committed to utilising these to address the COVID-19 challenges, in close collaboration with the research and business communities in the advanced manufacturing sector.
In April we announced a £1.25 billion package to help ensure innovative firms in some of the most dynamic sectors of the UK economy – including life sciences – are protected through the COVID-19 crisis so they can continue to develop innovative new products. As part of this Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), are investing £750 million to support innovation in the country’s most research-intensive businesses during and post the coronavirus pandemic, and to support new ways of dealing with global disruption. The package will include grants, loans, and expanded business advisory support. This package builds on the government’s existing support for innovative, high-growth firms including the £2.5 billion British Patient Capital fund, the upcoming £200 million Life Sciences Investment Programme, internationally competitive R&D tax reliefs and our major commitments to increase public R&D spending to £22 billion by 2024-25.
Currently over £36 million is awarded through UKRI to projects directly related to tackling Covid-19.? This includes £24.6 million awarded across 27 projects, including for testing a vaccine, developing therapies and improving understanding of how to treat COVID-19, awarded through a Rapid Response call (now closed) run jointly with the?National Institute for Health Research .
We are also supporting the development of a coronavirus vaccine, working to ensure the UK has the manufacturing capability to produce these at the levels the UK needs. This is at the early stages but progressing rapidly. A new cross government vaccines taskforce has been set up, reporting to the Secretaries of State for BEIS and DHSC as well as Sir Patrick Vallance. It brings together government, industry, academics, funding agencies and other partners to make rapid decisions in order to accelerate vaccine development in the UK, working closely with the BioIndustry Association.
This taskforce is reviewing a number of options, including looking at delivering the Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) earlier than the 2022 opening date originally planned. The VMIC was asked to develop a plan for its dramatic acceleration and expansion. As a result the initial phase of the build has now started which is approximately three months ahead of schedule. Further acceleration and expansion options will be presented by the VMIC to the government in due course, and definitive estimates of further time savings will be available at that time.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the equity of the distribution of research and development spending for areas with poor health outcomes.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah MP) on 9 May 2019 to Question 249283. Further to that answer, on 11 July 2019 the Government announced £135 million of funding to support National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaborations (ARCs). The NIHR ARC scheme will support high-quality applied health and care research to make tangible improvements for patients, the public and to health and care services. NIHR ARCs will work with local partners and patients and the public from across the local communities they serve, and particularly with Academic Health Science Networks, to tackle local health and care priorities.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the Government's target of increasing research and development funding to 2.4 per cent of GDP benefits the areas with the poorest health outcomes, particularly parts of the north of England.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The 2.4% R&D Roadmap will set overall direction for how we can achieve the 2.4% R&D ambition by 2027, and 3% in the longer term, through the use of strategic public funding to leverage private R&D investment.
It aims to transform R&D intensity across all sectors of the economy, supporting the development of new technologies, industries, and products that bring growth, good jobs across the UK, and social improvements for all.
The 2.4% R&D Roadmap will bring together Government, academia, and industry to collaboratively focus their efforts on increasing R&D investment. In the area of health, this includes the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS R&D activity, and work with industry in taking forward the Life Sciences Sector Deal. The 2.4% R&D Roadmap will also align closely with the Industrial Strategy’s Grand Challenges. This includes the Ageing Society Grand Challenge which will create new demands for technologies, products and services for an ageing population, and the AI and Data Grand Challenge which will use data, artificial intelligence, and innovation to transform the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and dementia by 2030.
In order to achieve the 2.4% R&D target, we need to accelerate the growth and build on R&D strengths across the UK. The Government has put in place a number of initiatives to support every part of the UK to identify and leverage their R&D strengths, from Science and Innovation Audits to the Strength in Places Fund. The Strength in Places Fund (SIPF) is investing £237m up to 2021-22 in growing new and existing centres of excellence for research and innovation across the UK.
We are working with Local Economic Partnerships as they develop Local Industrial Strategies to identify science and innovation strengths and the action needed to unlock R&D growth in places across the country.
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to maintain Government funding for science, technology and maths research through the (a) Daphne Jackson Trust and (b) Wellcome Trust; and if he will make a statement. .
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Government has made a commitment to increase overall investment in R&D to 2.4% of GDP by 2027, and 3% in the longer term. This will be the largest increase ever.
The Daphne Jackson Trust and the Wellcome Trust are independent charities that do not receive Government funding for their core activities. We have developed and maintain close relationships with both organisations and have supported and worked in partnership with them on specific projects.
Through its fellowships the Daphne Jackson Trust supports researchers to retrain and return after a career break of two or more years taken for family, caring or health reasons. In 2017 over half of the seventy active Daphne Jackson Fellowships were sponsored by one or more Research Councils.
The Department has partnered with the Wellcome Trust to deliver the Inspiring Science Fund which supports science centres to create opportunities for young people, with an increased focus on under-represented and underserved audiences, to learn about and engage with science, technology, engineering and maths
Asked by: Chris Green (Conservative - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to increase Government funding to support the STEM research sector; and what recent assessment he has made of the effect of such Government funding on changes in the number of highly skilled people working in that sector.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Through our modern Industrial Strategy we have committed to the highest R&D increase on record. We have announced increases in public R&D spending worth £7bn up to 2021/2022, and we are working with UK Research and Innovation and other key partners to develop a roadmap that sets out how government and industry will work together to reach our target of increasing R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027, which would be the highest recorded level, and 3% in the longer-term.
The Government recognises that to make best use of this increased level of investment in science we will need to increase the number of researchers and strengthen the pipeline leading to research careers. Though it is too early to assess the impacts of these new programmes we are addressing this need through such programmes as UK Research and Innovation’s £900m Future Leaders Fellowship which aims to attract the best researchers from the UK and from around the world.