Space Industry (Indemnities) Bill

Third Reading

Motion

Moved by

That the Bill do now pass.

My Lords, I congratulate John Grady MP, who introduced the Bill in the House of Commons, where he secured all-party support. I thank all those who supported the Bill in this House as it made its way through Second Reading. Every Member who participated at Second Reading supported the Bill.

I am also grateful to the Minister for responding in constructive detail both during the debate itself and subsequently in a letter to all Second Reading participants, in which he answered the detailed questions posed by my noble friend Lord Moylan, the opposition transport spokesman. The Minister’s hard-working experts, who may well be in the Box today, no doubt had an expert hand in that.

The Bill amends the Space Industry Act 2018 to provide legislative certainty that spaceflight operators will not face unlimited liability when operating from the UK. As a consequence, the Bill should strengthen investment in the UK’s space sector, which is important for both the economic growth and the defence of the United Kingdom. I beg to move.

My Lords, I will not detain the House, because, as we all know, there is important business ahead. However, I congratulate and thank the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, for her work on the Bill and for having brought it to the stage where it is poised on the brink of the statute book. As someone who, in the past, has piloted a Private Member’s Bill through to its final stages, I know very well that the Private Members’ Bill procedure can indeed change the law of this country.

The Bill literally changes one word, from “may” to “must”. As a member of your Lordships’ UK Engagement with Space Committee—I am not here to talk about our report, Act Now or Lose Out, interesting though it was—I believe that the Bill will unlock investment and a space economy for the future. The UK could be well placed to play an active part in that. I thank all those involved and wish this Bill very well in the future.

My Lords, this is the second Bill this week that, in effect, transfers risk or cost away from private investors to the taxpayer or the fare payer, to help put Britain on the path to industrial success in the future. I say to the Minister, who supports the Bill, that this is a long way from the days of the railways, when private money without government support and without any transfer of risk—and sometimes with private investors losing their funds—built our great railway network. However, it turns out that this is necessary for our success in space and so we support the Bill and congratulate my noble friend Lady Anelay of St Johns on bringing it forward and to a successful conclusion. Like her, I thank not only the Minister for his friendly and open engagement but his civil servants, who have been supportive in this process.

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their contributions to and support for the Bill. I offer particular thanks to the noble Baroness, Lady Anelay, for steering the Bill through this House and to John Grady for bringing forward this short but important Bill in the other place.

The Government recognise that the question of liability and insurance is of utmost concern to the space sector, given the value that the industry places on having legislative certainty on this matter and the concerns that it has raised about the use of the word “may” in Section 12(2) of the Space Industry Act. I am therefore grateful to the noble Baroness for the Bill, which, by amending Section 12(2), will meet a key request from the sector.

Bill passed.