One of Theresa May’s first acts as Prime Minister was to create a new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) by combining most of the functions of the old Departments for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Energy and Climate Change.
Here is a link to the Dept....
This move was characterised as “the re-introduction of ‘industrial strategy’ to the political lexicon.”
BEIS’s responsibilities regarding industrial strategy is summed up in the memorandum attached to the Ministerial Statement outlining the Machinery of Government changes introduced by Theresa May:
• Business and enterprise: cementing the UK’s position as the best place in Europe to start and grow a business – by supporting local growth, entrepreneurs, and making it easier for businesses to resolve disputes quickly and easily.
• Competitiveness: developing a long-term industrial strategy, supporting competitive markets, cutting red tape and protecting intellectual property.
• Science and innovation: ensuring that the UK is the best place in Europe to innovate, maintaining our world-leading research and science base to drive growth and productivity while reforming the system to maximise value from our investments.
In a speech delivered to The Royal Society, Greg Clark (Secretary of State at BEIS) introduced his approach to the Department’s areas of responsibility. Regarding industrial strategy he emphasised the following:
• Successful industries in the UK must be recognised and supported, including automotive, aerospace and space
• Scientific research must be encouraged through support for relevant institutions
• New industries and technologies must be allowed to develop
• The interests of consumers must be protected and served through innovation and competitive pricing
• The contribution of employees and businesses owners must be recognised
• Local areas must be encouraged through transport, skills and “pro-business leadership”.
Mr Clark elaborated on some of the points above at a speech to the Institute of Directors in late September. One point he emphasised was that the Government’s industrial strategy would likely be more ‘horizontal’ than ‘sectoral’:
Cabinet Committee on industrial strategy
A Cabinet Committee for industrial strategy was established in July 2016 and included the Secretaries of State for 11 departments in order that the Government’s industrial strategy has input from all policy areas.
The new Cabinet Committee met for the first time on Tuesday 2 August 2016. A press release summarised the Committee’s priorities:
The new committee, which will bring together Secretaries of State from more than 10 government departments, will help to drive forward an industrial strategy that will aim to put the United Kingdom in a strong position for the future, promoting a diversity of industrial sectors and ensuring the benefits of growth are shared across cities and regions up and down the country.
In particular, it will focus on addressing long-term productivity growth, encouraging innovation and focusing on the industries and technologies that will give the UK a competitive advantage.
The Prime Minister’s spokesperson later commented that the Committee has agreed that “solving the puzzle of how to improve productivity would be at the heart” of the Government’s industrial strategy
Source: House of Commons briefing Paper Number 07682, 14 October 2016
