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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement by the hon. Member for East Surrey of 11 June 2018 on the Competitiveness Council 28-29 May 2018 and the Council's policy debate on the future of European space policy, whether the Minister persuaded member states to allow the UK to continue to be a member of the (a) Galileo, (b) Copernicus and (c) other EU space programmes in the event that the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

As I set out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 11 June 2018, we would like the UK to continue our full involvement in the EU space programmes. As is the case more widely, we need to get the right agreements concluded which will allow the UK and its businesses to take part on a fair and open basis. We will continue to discuss this with our EU colleagues and aim to reach an agreement that works for all sides.