Britain will get the infrastructure it needs to thrive through
Brexit and beyond under plans set to be outlined by the
Government.
A series of Bills will create the legislative framework necessary
to get on with job of delivering world class infrastructure and
remove legal obstacles to innovation – supporting high-skilled,
well-paid jobs right across the country.
Legislation to be set out later this week will see the Government
outline the next steps on the HS2 railway, providing the legal
powers needed to build and operate the next leg of the route that
will link the Midlands to the North West.
HS2 will create vital capacity on the railways, freeing up
commuter services on the existing network with the creation of
the line, playing a role in rebalancing the economy as improved
connections between our cities generate jobs, skills and economic
growth and help us build an economy that works for all.
It will also help create prosperity around the country, creating
tens of thousands of jobs all over the UK during its construction
phase, as firms across Britain compete for contracts up and down
the supply chain.
The Queen’s speech will also include plans support drivers of
plug-in vehicles. There are already over 100,000 plug-in cars and
vans registered on the UK’s roads.
As well as being cleaner they have much lower running costs to
petrol and diesel engines.
The UK also plays a leading role in the development and
manufacture of these vehicles, with ongoing government support
through grants for research and development as well as to drive
uptake.
But the Government is clear more needs to be done to remove some
of the barriers that are preventing more drivers switching to
electric.
As things stand, those wanting to use publicly-accessible
charging points may need to register with several different
companies that run them.
The planned legislation will include measures to ensure drivers
need register only once to make full use of the existing
infrastructure.
A third Bill will put Britain at the heart of new spaceflight
technology, allowing UK companies to compete in an international
market and generate highly-skilled jobs.
The UK space industry is worth £13.7bn to the economy and
satellites support over 38,000 jobs. The global market for
launching satellites is estimated to be £25 billion over the next
20 years.
They offer exciting opportunities to grow our space sector,
create local jobs and inspire the next generation of British
scientists and engineers.
The powers will allow the launch of satellites from the UK for
the first time, horizontal flights to the edge of space for
scientific experiments and the establishment and operation of
spaceports in regions across the UK.
The legislation will ensure the UK can take advantage of these
new markets, overcome dependence on foreign launch services and
benefit from the development of new spaceports and supply chains.
The Bill will provide new powers to license a wide range of new
spaceflight, including vertically-launched rockets, spaceplanes,
satellite operation, spaceports and other technologies.
It will take the UK into the commercial space age by enabling
small satellite launch and spaceflight from UK spaceports. And it
will create new opportunities for the UK’s scientific community
to carry out cutting-edge research in a micro gravity environment
by British scientists easier access to this unique environment by
enabling them to launch from UK soil.
Combined, these measures will play a part of the Modern
Industrial Strategy, with the Government supporting and promoting
industries of strategic value to our economy.
Transport Secretary said:
“We are absolutely determined to give Britain the transport
infrastructure it needs so that we can thrive and grow as we
leave the European Union.
“The measures we outline this week will ensure our legal
structures are ready for the high skill, highly paid jobs of the
future, while backing the transport projects that will make
journeys better for ordinary working people.
“It’s only by backing infrastructure through our Modern
Industrial Strategy that we can spread prosperity and opportunity
around the country.”
