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To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the £60 million provided to support proof of concept development of near-market agricultural innovations described in A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies has been allocated.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much of the £60 million provided to support proof of concept development of near-market agricultural innovations described in A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies has been allocated.
To date 11 feasibility studies have been agreed, which will be supported by £2.8 million of Government funding and £1.4 million of industry co-investment. A further tranche of funding will be announced shortly.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, for what reason Qatar was chosen as the first country for UK Trade and Investment to work with.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, for what reason Qatar was chosen as the first country for UK Trade and Investment to work with.
Qatar was chosen because of its Government's commitment to increase agricultural production over the coming years with the aim of becoming less reliant on imported food and more self-sufficient. This may offer important future opportunities for UK agri-tech organisations.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, what progress UK Trade and Investment has made on identifying possibilities for UK-based food and drink producers through the High Value Opportunity Programme for Food Security.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, what progress UK Trade and Investment has made on identifying possibilities for UK-based food and drink producers through the High Value Opportunity Programme for Food Security.
The scope of the High Value Opportunity for Food Security is dependent on the national strategies to be published by key target markets. Prospects for UK-based food and drink producers will become clearer once these strategies are published.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how many times the Leadership Council has met; and what the items for discussion were at each meeting.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how many times the Leadership Council has met; and what the items for discussion were at each meeting.
The Agri-Tech Leadership Council has met four times. The items discussed are set out in the following table:
| Date | Subjects
discussed |
| 23rd
September
2013 | 1.
Launch of the Agri-Tech Strategy and future implications for the
Leadership
Council |
| 2.
Funding position | |
| 3.
Leadership Council—general principles and roles, skills and
knowledge | |
| 4.
Communications—general principles and ways of
working | |
| 5.
Catalyst process and
timetable | |
| 6.
Marketplace Networking Events for the Centres for Agricultural
Innovation | |
| 26th
November
2013 | 1.
Centres for Agricultural Innovation—reflections and next
steps |
| 2.
Leadership Council—Outcomes, Metrics,
Management | |
| 3.
Information and Project
Plan | |
| 4.
Evaluation of the Agri-Tech
Strategy | |
| 5.
UKTI approach on exports and inward
investment | |
| 6.
Communications | |
| 7.
International
funding | |
| 8.
Skills and knowledge
transfer | |
| 16th
January
2014 | 1.
Agri-Tech Strategy small and medium size enterprise
perspective |
| 2.
Update on Catalyst bids and the Agri-Informatics
Centre | |
| 3.
Potential private sector investment in Centres for Agricultural
Innovation | |
| 4.
UKTI Programme on agri-tech inward investment and
exports | |
| 5.
Skills | |
| 6.
Communications | |
| 2nd
April
2014 | 1.
Agri-Engineering |
| 2.
Updates on the first successful Catalyst projects and discussions with
the private sector on Centres for Agricultural
Innovation | |
| 3.
Next steps in establishing the
Centres | |
| 4.
Skills—update on next
steps | |
| 5.
Priorities for the Leadership Council in next 12
months |
In addition, the Leadership Council held a telephone conference on 24 February 2014 which discussed the proposed timetable and actions for commissioning the Centre for Agri-Informatics and Metrics of Sustainability, and arrangements for evaluating the Agri-Tech Strategy.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, what progress has been made in identifying skills needed to support the agri-tech research progress; and what steps he is taking to ensure the identified skills are being procured.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, what progress has been made in identifying skills needed to support the agri-tech research progress; and what steps he is taking to ensure the identified skills are being procured.
The Agri-Tech Strategy Leadership Council is delivering the skills commitments in the Strategy. Current work includes working with the UK research councils and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to map the gaps in research skills; working with the Agri-Skills Forum to promote the professionalisation of careers in agriculture; and working with Government to help shape the new Rural Development Programme with respect to agri-skills.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £90 million to establish centres for agricultural innovation has been allocated; and how many such centres have been established.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £90 million to establish centres for agricultural innovation has been allocated; and how many such centres have been established.
Following the launch of the strategy we prioritised the Agri-Tech Catalyst, to encourage collaboration between industry and academia. We have been engaging further with industry to ensure the centres are developed as true partnerships. The process to establish the Centre for Agricultural Informatics and Metrics of Sustainability will be launched this spring. Therefore, to date, no centres have been fully established or money allocated.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, what progress he has made in establishing a Centre for Agricultural Informatics.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, what progress he has made in establishing a Centre for Agricultural Informatics.
Over the last few months we have held a number of discussions and consultation events to identify priorities for this centre and others that will follow. Building on this input, a sub-group of the Agri-Tech Leadership Council has developed a specification that will be published later this month. The application process will open shortly thereafter.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, whether UK Trade & Investment has established a new dedicated team to increase the volume and value of overseas investment into the UK agri-tech sector.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, whether UK Trade & Investment has established a new dedicated team to increase the volume and value of overseas investment into the UK agri-tech sector.
Yes. The Agri-Tech Investment Organisation was established on 1 August 2013 within UK Trade and Investment. It is staffed by a mix of civil servants and industry experts dedicated to increasing the value and volume of overseas investment into the UK agri-tech sector.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK strategy for agricultural technologies, what progress has been made in mapping and evaluating private and government funding available for research, translation and innovation.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK strategy for agricultural technologies, what progress has been made in mapping and evaluating private and government funding available for research, translation and innovation.
The UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies contains a number of actions for Industry, Government and the science base.
Action No. 1 commits the Leadership Council, working alongside others, to conduct a comprehensive mapping and evaluation of private and Government funding available for research, translation and innovation.
Work to deliver this action started at the end of March this year, led by the Agri-Tech Leadership Council. We expect the findings to be presented by the end of 2014.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £10 million provided by her Department to support the transfer of technology and new products to developing countries has been spent; and if she will make a statement.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, how much of the £10 million provided by her Department to support the transfer of technology and new products to developing countries has been spent; and if she will make a statement.
No DFID funds have been spent as part of the Agri-Tech Catalyst. The selection of the projects from the first round of the Catalyst competition is ongoing. The second round of the competition closes on11 June 2014.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, if he will list the activities undertaken by the UK Trade and Investment Business Ambassador to champion UK agri-tech; and which early stage markets have been identified for future growth.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to A UK Strategy for Agricultural Technologies, if he will list the activities undertaken by the UK Trade and Investment Business Ambassador to champion UK agri-tech; and which early stage markets have been identified for future growth.
James Townshend, the UK Business Ambassador for agri-tech, has undertaken the following activities to raise the UK's reputation in agri-tech; to support inward investment and exports:
2013
London—18 April. Met Hamish Renton, UK dairy specialist, in advance of visit to Qatar in May 2013.
London—29 April. Met the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), to discuss HMG Agri-Tech Industrial Strategy.
London—30 April. Attended and delivered the keynote speech at the UK Dairy Export Forum.
London—8 May. Met the Ambassador of Belarus to the UK to discuss potential business opportunities in Belarus for UK agricultural companies.
Qatar—20-23 May. Led a scoping mission aimed at positioning UK companies to win potential contracts.
Turkey—1 September. Visited the Agroexpo/Animal Expo, Eurasia.
Angola—8-9 October. Led, with my noble friend Lord Marland, a multi-sector trade mission to Luanda, which included calls on the Angolan Ministers for Finance, Petroleum, Agriculture, Defence, Energy, Trade and Industry and Education.
2014
Burma—19-23 January. A scoping visit and meetings with key decision makers and practitioners.
Early stage markets already identified are Angola and Qatar and we continue to keep our activity under review.
At the last Business, Innovation and Skills questions, the Secretary of State admitted:
“The figures on exports are not great”.—[Official Report, 13 June 2013; Vol. 564, c. 470.]
Since then, the UK trade deficit has widened to the point at which it is now the largest trade gap in the European Union, and the widest it has been since 1989. Following on from the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith), will the Secretary of State tell the House whether he is happier with export performance this month? What changes to policy or priorities will he now make to facilitate an export-led recovery, or does he not think that changes are necessary?
At the last Business, Innovation and Skills questions, the Secretary of State admitted:
“The figures on exports are not great”.—[Official Report, 13 June 2013; Vol. 564, c. 470.]
Since then, the UK trade deficit has widened to the point at which it is now the largest trade gap in the European Union, and the widest it has been since 1989. Following on from the question from my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Nick Smith), will the Secretary of State tell the House whether he is happier with export performance this month? What changes to policy or priorities will he now make to facilitate an export-led recovery, or does he not think that changes are necessary?
Monthly variations are not the issue, but there is an underlying problem. British exporters are currently doing extremely well in the big emerging markets. We have rapid export growth to countries such as Russia, China, India and Brazil, for example, but exports to the eurozone are weak, for obvious reasons. We accept that there are underlying weaknesses. We have not had the recovery of export volume growth that we would expect following a substantial devaluation. Much of this relates to the way in which supply chains were hollowed out in the long period of manufacturing decline, but we are trying to rebuild them through the industrial strategy.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the (a) access to finance for UK tech companies and (b) relative competitiveness of the UK as a base for securing finance and initial public offerings for tech companies.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the (a) access to finance for UK tech companies and (b) relative competitiveness of the UK as a base for securing finance and initial public offerings for tech companies.
The Information Economy Strategy, published on 14 June 2013, considered the barriers potentially faced by technology start-ups including accessing finance. The Information Economy Council will work with the various tech clusters in the UK to identify common barriers to growth. This work will include consideration of access to finance issues. On initial public offerings, the Government is helping increase companies' access to funding from the public equity markets by:
working with the London Stock Exchange to develop its new ‘high growth' segment;
allowing shares from growth markets to be included in ISAs; and
announcing in the March Budget the intention to remove stamp duty from the trading of shares on growth markets.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of allowing police officers to use hand-held electronic devices to record evidence.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of allowing police officers to use hand-held electronic devices to record evidence.