Wednesday 18 June,
14.15, Grimond Room, Portcullis House
On Wednesday afternoon, the Treasury Committee will ask industry
voices whether the National Wealth Fund (NWF) has the right tools
and backing to drive meaningful economic growth.
The NWF is able to deploy £27.8 billion to drive private
investment in areas that align with the Chancellor's priority
sectors: clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital
technologies and transport.
MPs will first gather views from academics and think tank
officials. Questions may consider the strategic objectives of the
fund and how it compares to similar funds set up by other
governments.
This will be followed by a session with representatives from the
energy sector, including Siemens Energy and First Light Fusion.
Questions could focus on the likelihood of the NWF contributing
to the government's ambition of achieving net zero.
The Committee will also then hear from the Green Alliance with
questions likely to examine the absence of natural capital from
the NWF's priorities. MPs may also explore the support available
for innovative sectors as they hear evidence from the UK's space
sector and bioindustry.
Witnesses from 14.15:
· Chaitanya Kumar, Acting
Head of Economic and Environmental Policy, New Economics
Foundation (NEF)
· Professor Neil Lee,
Professor of Economic Geography, London School of
Economics
· Pranesh Narayanan, Research
Fellow, Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)
From approx. 15.15:
· Darren Davidson, Vice
President of Siemens Energy UK&I and Siemens Gamesa
UK
· James Earl, Chief Executive
of Future Energy Networks
· , Chief Executive Officer,
First Light Fusion
From approx. 15.45:
· Phil Chambers, Chief
Executive Officer, Orbex
· Shaun Spiers, Executive
Director, Green Alliance
· Dr , Director of Policy and
External Affairs, UK Bioindustry Association
