Industrial, Infrastructure and Manufacturing Business Council: 16 July 2019
17 Jul 2019 01:26 PM
PM Theresa May hosted her Industrial, Infrastructure and Manufacturing Business Council at Downing Street.
The Prime Minister hosted her Industrial, Infrastructure and Manufacturing Business Council at Downing Street yesterday.
The council, co-chaired by Sir Roger Carr, Chairman, BAE Systems and Sir Ian Davis, Chairman, Rolls Royce, discussed important issues affecting the UK business environment including the apprenticeship levy and carbon capture and storage (CCS).
They also discussed green mobility, the UK automotive sector’s transition to ultra-low emissions, and the importance of smart construction.
The Prime Minister welcomed the hard work by all members of the council in producing their recommendations and emphasised that hearing directly from business had been a key focus during her premiership. She reiterated that the council’s contributions are important and valued across Government.
On the apprenticeship levy the Prime Minister welcomed the council’s proposals for increased flexibility and transparency. She emphasised the importance of continuing to deliver higher level apprenticeships to meet current and future skills needs. She agreed the detailed proposals should continue to be worked up by members and feed into the ongoing review into the apprenticeship system being led by the Treasury.
On green mobility, the Prime Minister welcomed proposals for a transition council and the plans to scope future opportunities for alternative fuels, such as hydrogen. She agreed that the council should continue to work with BEIS officials to push the work forward.
The Prime Minister agreed that there were tangible economic opportunities for the UK in progressing carbon capture storage and that the technology was vital for meeting net zero emissions targets. She set out that the Government would continue to work closely with the council to test out investment opportunities and agreed that both Government and industry needed to move at greater pace and scale to make this a reality.
The Prime Minister recognised the role that smart construction has to play in the future and that this should be used to set a standard in the sector.
The Prime Minister concluded the session by thanking the council for their constructive proposals and confirmed that the Government would continue to push the agenda forward.
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