Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
Recommendation 28
First Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Industrial policy in the UK
Published 28 Jun 2021
Paragraph 107
Addressed to Department for Business and Trade
Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee Post-pandemic economic growth: Industrial Strategy All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
We conclude that Local Industrial Strategies are useful and should be continued in the future, but that the Government should set out how it will ensure that local areas are equipped with the skills, resource and incentives needed to produce and deliver effective local industrial policy. It should make engaging with and supporting local areas to develop such strategies (including in the devolved nations) a higher priority and should publish a national assessment of the opportunities and challenges in each region and potential points of collaboration across the country. Government should confirm whether it sees LEPs as the relevant delivery body for local industrial strategies in England and, if so, provide additional dedicated support for LEPs to build greater analytical, evaluation and policymaking resource.
From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, First Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Industrial policy in the UK (HC 385), paragraph 107, 28 June 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 24 September 2021 (deadline 28 August 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the report and sets out its approach through the Plan for Growth, agreeing on some points, stating that it does not believe a review of each Sector Deal is "the correct way to approach this issue", and declining to publish NERT dates and minutes.
- The government "agrees with the Committee that its policies and strategies should support the whole economy and deliver for all parts of the UK", and will work with the Devolved Administrations and regional and local leaders "where appropriate".
- It does not believe reviewing each Sector Deal for the impact of Covid-19 is "the correct way to approach this issue"; instead it "will continue to engage with sectors".
- On publishing dates and minutes of the National Economy and Recovery Taskforce, it "has noted" the interest, citing a "long-established precedent" that such information is not shared publicly.
- It will publish a Levelling Up White Paper "later this year", which will include plans for local leadership, "including considering the future of LEPs".