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 UK’s ability to launch a network of satellites equivalent to the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system; what estimate his Department has made of the annual running costs of such a network; in which territories the UK would place the required ground stations; and in which area of the country launches of satellites would take place.

My rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister confirmed on 2 May that the Government is developing options for a British Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) that will provide civilian and encrypted signals, and be compatible with the US GPS system. The Government has been clear there is a mutual benefit to the UK remaining involved in the EU Galileo programme and we are working hard to deliver this. However, without the assurance that UK industry can collaborate on an equal basis and without continued access to the necessary security-related information, the UK could be obliged to end its participation in the project.

Initial assessments confirm that the UK space sector has the technical capability to design, build and deliver a domestic satellite navigation system as a result of its extensive experience in delivering the Galileo programme. The options for such a system, including its objectives in terms of services and capabilities and associated costs, are now being studied further in the work led by the UK Space Agency. The options for the location of the necessary ground infrastructure, including the suitability of the UK’s Overseas Territories, and the options for the launch of the satellites are also being considered as part of the work that is now under way.