Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Rejected
Ensure the Cabinet sub-committee for space delivers meaningful coordination improvements and engagement.
Recommendation
While we are sympathetic to the sector’s calls for a dedicated ‘Minister for Space’, we do not believe such a role is necessary at this time. Fundamentally, the sector’s calls reflect a desire for improved engagement with the sector, and a more coordinated, joined-up approach between Government departments. Rather than establishing a new ministerial post, the Government should focus on ensuring this Cabinet sub-committee for space delivers meaningful improvements in coordination and engagement. In its response to this report, we expect the Government to set out what progress has been made on establishing this sub-committee and what contribution it has made to the Government’s work in this area. (Recommendation, Paragraph 107) 43
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to focus on the Cabinet sub-committee for space, stating they have not committed to establishing such a committee. They also confirm that details and minutes of any ministerial forums will not be made public, citing long-established precedent.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
• The Government remains committed to ensuring that space activity remains coordinated across all interested departments, with multiple levels of governance and lines of communication in place beyond the Cabinet itself. Ministers meet regularly as required to discuss space policy issues, including through meetings of a Space Ministerial Forum of relevant responsible ministers. • The Government has not committed to establishing a new specific Cabinet committee for space. The Prime Minister decides, on the advice of the Cabinet Secretary, the overall structure of the Cabinet committee system, including the creation of any new committees and their terms of reference. A list of the current committees, their terms of reference and the ministers who sit on them is available on gov.uk. Cabinet committees take collective decisions on behalf of Cabinet as relevant to their Terms of Reference. • It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including how often they have met and who attended and their minutes, is not normally shared publicly. We also cannot commit to publishing the meeting schedules and minutes of the Space Ministerial Forum, to enable full and frank discussion of policy issues between ministers.