Recommendation 17

While its primary objective is economic growth, the Department uses a range of metrics to guide its work, some of which require trade-offs. Factors considered by the Department when designing support initiatives include GVA, net zero ambitions, and national security. The NAO found that the Department lacked a standardised approach to balance different metrics when making decisions to support industry. This can make it difficult for stakeholders to understand the rationale behind interventions; for the Department to demonstrate why it prioritised one intervention over another; and hampers its ability to evaluate the effectiveness of its interventions.35