Recommendation 8

The Department’s insight into exporters in different sectors of the UK economy is variable; stronger in well-established sectors, such as aerospace, but less developed and less well-understood for some emerging sectors such as renewable energy.13 The Department told us that it has aimed to substantially increase the skills of its sector teams over the last year, and has recruited a number of sector directors to help “get under the skin” of those sectors where the Department’s knowledge was less well advanced, and where it was less able to support businesses. The Department highlighted that the transition to low carbon industries is a priority for the Department as it is for other government departments.14 The Department also noted that it expects the technology sector to play a large part in any future government strategy and that it is seeking to support more technology exports. For example, it referred to its recent success in a collaborative bid with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport to put a digital trade network into the Asia-Pacific region.15 7 Qq 48, 49 8 Q 42 9 C&AG’s Report, paras 18, 2.30. 10 Q 44 11 C&AG’s Report, paras 18, 2.29. 12 Qq 42, 43 13 C&AG’s Report, paras 15. 14 Q 50 15 Qq 11, 67 Government support for UK exporters 11