Written statement on Machinery of Government - Dec 17

Prime Minister (Sir Keir Starmer): I am making this statement to bring to the House's attention the following Machinery of Government change.

I am today announcing that overarching policy and response responsibilities for Severe Space Weather will move from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will be responsible for coordinating across government to ensure that appropriate capabilities are in place, so that impacts from Severe Space Weather are minimised. This will bring about efficiencies by centralising the management of space risks, including their assessment, response, recovery, and mitigation in a single department.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will retain its responsibilities for mitigating the impacts of Severe Space Weather events on the energy sector. The responsibilities of the Met Office and UK Space Agency, the latter of which will join the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology by April 2026, will be unaffected by this change.

This change will be effective immediately.