19th Special Report - Industrial Strategy: sector deals: Government Response to the Seventeenth Report of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee

This is the government's response, published 7 June 2019.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government responds to the Committee's report by setting out its approach to Sector Deals, stating that deals are "open to every sector" but will progress where proposals best meet its six expectations.

• On steel, the government says it "remain[s] open to discussing a Sector Deal" and did not agree one earlier because it considered the sector "was not proposing a deal but an ask".
• It does not accept that funding or engagement should be guaranteed to every proposal, stating the open offer "does not place any expectations on the government to simply agree to lobbying demands" that do not align with its six expectations.
• It confirms that £170m for the Transforming Construction Programme "is proceeding", and that the Construction Leadership Council will provide a progress update in July 2019.
• It states it is "supportive" of skills proposals in future Deals, but says the six expectations retain flexibility because "excessive prescription could preclude some sectors".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error