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UK Space Policy

: Yes, there is some space litter up there, and we probably need to pay attention to it. However, my hon. Friend's point about failed launches shows that, although we take for granted such things as getting a signal on our mobile phones or getting a television stream, such technology is at the cutting edge. Space technology is not just about pressing a button; it is not just a given. There are real challenges out there, and I think they are being addressed by our companies. We have failures, but our successes far outweigh them, which, unfortunately, are well publicised. The space industry is doing well in all that it does. At the European Space Agency ministerial conference, the UK must decide where it is going—not just where space technology is going, but where the country is going. The UK Government must make two decisions if we are to sustain Britain's bank of space technologies, which generate wealth throughout the economy. We must subscribe at the same level to the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems technology investment programme. If space technology and the industry are to remain at the forefront of global efforts to combat climate change and develop a global early-warning system for natural disasters, we must play a leading role in the global monitoring for environment and security initiative. Those decisions will test the UK's aspirations to having a high-tech, highly skilled future and its global leadership in combating climate change.