Select committee: Science and Technology Committee
Recommendation 28
1st report - Battery strategy goes flat: Net-zero target at risk
Published 27 Jul 2021
Paragraph 166
Science and Technology Committee Role of batteries and fuel cells in achieving Net Zero All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Government should take action to ensure that there are sufficient skilled workers in the automotive sector and conducting research into batteries and fuel cells. 1) There needs to be more support for training to enable the automotive sector’s transition to electric vehicles. 2) There need to be pipelines for training more researchers and engineers and supporting their longer -term careers. 3) There needs to be greater flexibility for recruiting international staff for research and manufacturing, including by reducing the costs associated with visas, particularly for short-term contracts .
From: Science and Technology Committee, 1st report - Battery strategy goes flat: Net-zero target at risk, paragraph 166, 27 July 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 September 2021 (deadline 27 September 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government sets out support already in place or planned across batteries, charging, freight and hydrogen, and ties future battery research funding to the Spending Review 2021.
- On supply chains, it states it is "committed to supporting the automotive sector", with £500m of the Automotive Transformation Fund available over four years as the first part of "up to £1 billion".
- On charging, it says it "recognise[s] the need to accelerate" the public network, will provide £1.3 billion over four years, and will publish an EV Infrastructure Strategy "later this year".
- On HGVs, the consultation closed on 3 September and it is analysing responses; it "intend[s] to announce phase out dates as soon as possible".
- On fuel cells, it says technology development is "at an earlier stage than in batteries" and that intervention to date has focused on supporting earlier development.