Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
2nd Report - Scotland’s space sector follow-up: launch
Scottish Affairs Committee
HC 671
Published 10 September 2025
Recommendations
5
Rejected
Examine the case for designating all UK spaceports as freeports to spur sector growth.
Recommendation
The UK Government should examine the case for designating all spaceports as freeports, to spur further growth of the sector and provide a greater opportunity to attract investment, talent and international partnerships. (Recommendation, Paragraph 40)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating it does not currently intend to expand the Freeport Programme to cover any new sites.
Scotland Office
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12
Rejected
Prioritise procurement of homegrown responsive launch services from domestic UK providers for defence.
Recommendation
The Ministry of Defence should prioritise the procurement of homegrown responsive launch services from domestic UK providers that can deploy satellites within days or weeks in response to emerging threats. (Recommendation, Paragraph 62)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating that the Ministry of Defence is not currently in a position to implement responsive launch services, as Space Command is focused on initial capabilities and currently has no requirement for independent launch systems.
Scotland Office
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19
Rejected
UK Government becoming anchor customer is vital for Scotland's launch sector viability
Recommendation
The UK Government must realise the value of becoming a long-term, sustainable customer of ‘home grown’ space capabilities. Once Scotland has a proven sovereign launch capability, the provision of Government support as an ‘anchor customer’ of domestic services, rather than …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it is supporting a commercial approach to launch, is highly unlikely to provide sufficient demand to sustain the sector itself, and does not commit to becoming an anchor customer.
Scotland Office
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20
Rejected
Commit to identifying early public sector customers for Scotland's launch and spaceport sector
Recommendation
The UK Space Agency should therefore commit to working with both the UK and Scottish Governments to identify early public sector customers for Scotland’s launch and spaceport sector. Government becoming a customer of the Scottish launch sector would send a …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it supports a commercial approach to launch, is highly unlikely to provide sufficient demand to sustain the sector, and will set out its space exports strategy in a 2026 publication.
Scotland Office
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21
Rejected
Unclear roles and fragmented responsibility for space policy hinder sector growth
Recommendation
Responsibility for space policy and regulation is currently spread across multiple government departments, which leads to unclear roles. Companies within the sector are having to coordinate with multiple government 42 departments, often with limited communication or coordination between them. This …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it is committed to coordinated space activity through existing multi-departmental governance and ministerial forums, but rejects establishing a new specific Cabinet committee for space or publishing forum meeting details.
Scotland Office
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23
Rejected
Set out structure, publish minutes, and regularly update Parliament on the Cabinet sub-committee for space.
Recommendation
Nonetheless, enhanced cross-departmental collaboration will still be needed to ensure the UK’s space sector operates under a coherent and unified direction. In its response to this report, the UK Government should set out the structure, membership, and remit of the …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to establish a new Cabinet sub-committee for space, stating that ministers already meet regularly through a Space Ministerial Forum. It also declines to publish meeting schedules, attendance, or minutes for any such forum or committee, citing long-established precedent.
Scotland Office
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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 …
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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.
Scotland Office
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