Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of using local enterprise (a) zones and (b) partnerships to help support the UK's space launch industry.

The UK Space Agency is leading on the development of new commercial markets for small satellite launch and sub-orbital flight in the UK. As part of this it is working with Enterprise Zones (EZs) and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across the UK to support growth in their local space economies

In addition the UK Space Agency has commissioned the UK Knowledge Transfer Network to provide an independent assessment of the current and potential strengths of UK companies that could supply space launch related goods and services. It is also supporting a Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy sponsored science and innovation audit which will include an assessment of current UK space launch industry capabilities and the potential to develop the new capabilities required to play a leading role in this emerging market.