Extract from oral question on
Rolls-Royce
(Con) [V]: Will the Minister include trade union
representation in any discussions and acknowledge the hard work put
in by the two trade unions at Rolls-Royce to maintain in the UK
jobs which are vital to keeping a skilled workforce and helping us
to build back better?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy () (Con): I know
my noble friend feels strongly about these matters. The unions
are involved in the Aerospace Growth Partnership
which is our main method of engaging with the UK aerospace
industry, and we continue to have regular dialogues with Unite
and other unions.
(CB) [V]: My Lords, I declare my interest as in the
register. The East Midlands, where Rolls-Royce has its
headquarters, has the lowest public sector research and development
spend in the UK, at £83 per head. R&D and the skilled jobs that
it generates are essential to the levelling-up agenda. What plans
do the Government have to increase R&D spend in the Midlands,
making the most of its strengths in the rail, aerospace, nuclear
and other vital sectors?
(Con): We are
happy to support good R&D projects. Rolls-Royce is a major
beneficiary of our R&D support operations through the £1.95
billion Aerospace Technology Institute
programme. It is also one of our largest UK investors in
R&D...
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Extracts from
Westminster Hall debate on Jet Zero Council
(South West Bedfordshire) (Con):...Technology
improvements through fleet upgrades represent the largest
long-term aviation decarbonisation solution in the sector.
The Aerospace Technology Institute
wishes to see funding doubled to £330 million a year to
enable the UK to become a world leader in developing more
efficient engines as well as hybrid electric and hydrogen
aircraft. Every £1 of Government investment in aerospace research
and development brings in another £12 in private research and
development spending—pretty impressive leverage...
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP):...We also heard about
Airbus being a Jet Zero member, and how it is developing the
ZEROe hydrogen aircraft. We look forward to hydrogen aircraft
being up and running. I draw Members’ attention to a
post-briefing note that highlights the fact that hydrogen emits
twice as much water vapour as existing jet fuel. That is a
potential issue, and perhaps the Jet Zero Council could look at
that, in collaboration with the Government. The need for wider
sector support from the Government, by doubling of
Aerospace Technology Institute
funding to £330 million a year, is also rightly identified.
What assessments have the Government made of those asks?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
():...We already have a range of programmes supporting
research and technology on zero-emission flight, including
the Aerospace Technology Institute
programme, which has £1.95 billion of public funding
committed for 2013 to 2026, and the Future Flight Challenge of
£125 million of public funding. These programmes have helped to
deliver incredible progress in recent decades in the fuel
efficiency of commercial aircraft. The hon. Member for Bristol
East () made
an important point about the short-term steps that can be taken
to help with sustainable aviation. Fuel efficiency in the short
term for commercial aircraft is an important and significant
first step in reducing carbon emissions...
...The council’s focus on clean aviation technologies has
been echoed by the Prime Minister, who set out the Government’s
ambition for the UK to demonstrate a zero emissions transatlantic
flight. In July, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy announced the launch of the Aerospace
Technology Institute’s FlyZero project. Funded by the
Government, the 12-month project brings together experts from
across the aviation and aerospace sectors to establish the
opportunities in designing and building a commercially successful
zero emissions aircraft. Last month, I saw the fruits of that
work: a trial flight of a hydrogen electric aircraft made
possible by £2.7 million of Government funding through the ATI’s
HyFlyer project...
To read the whole debate,
CLICK
HERE
