Estimates day debate: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) provides support for busines, funding for energy policy, including spending to address climate change. It also holds the Government’s science and research budget.

The Department has the following strategic objectives as set out in its its Single Departmental Plan published June 2019:

1. Deliver an ambitious industrial strategy
2. Maximise investment opportunities and bolster UK interests as we leave the EU
3. Promote competitive markets and responsible business practices
4. Ensure the UK has a reliable, low cost and clean energy system
5. Build a flexible, innovative, collaborative and business-facing department

In 2020-21 BEIS’s spending, as set out in the Main Estimate Memorandum has been expanded significantly with a number of business support schemes, introduced to support business as a consequence of the coronavirus lockdown and its impacts.

This debate pack includes further details on spending and policy background on a number of areas of BEIS responsibility including coronavirus business support schemes, research and development spending, and funding for energy and climate change. It also includes relevant news items, press releases and Parliamentary records.

In addition the following Commons Briefing Papers provide further information:

• Industrial Strategy 8 August 2019
• Coronavirus: Support for businesses, 2 July 2020
• Research and development spending, 17 June 2020
• Net Zero in the UK,16 December 2019
• Coronavirus: Effect on the economy and public finances, 19 June 2020