Select committee: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee
Recommendation 44
First Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Industrial policy in the UK
Published 28 Jun 2021
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)
To provide clear direction the Government should present to the House an updated industrial policy statement which sets out the Government’s strategic assessment of industrial policy in the UK. The Government should provide:(Paragraph 180) • Confirmation of who is leading industrial policy in the UK—is it the Prime Minister as Chair of the National Economy and Recovery Taskforce, the Chancellor of the Exchequer as author of the Plan for Growth, or the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy? • Confirmation that officials in each relevant department will be assigned responsibility to lead on industrial policy in their area. Post-pandemic economic growth: Industrial policy in the UK 55 • A commitment to publishing the dates and minutes of the cross-cabinet National Economy and Recovery Taskforce which will coordinate industrial policy. • A commitment to publish industrial policy metrics and to report on those metrics on an annual basis at local as well as national level. The Government should support relevant departments and national agencies in collecting and publishing this data. • A commitment to co-producing industrial policy with the devolved governments and regional and local leaders. The Government should set out the process and timeframes by which this will be achieved. 56 Post-pandemic economic growth: Industrial policy in the UK
From: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee, First Report - Post-pandemic economic growth: Industrial policy in the UK (HC 385), 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".