Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)[3] was a department of His Majesty's Government.

Not to be confused with the former Department of Energy (United Kingdom).
Not to be confused with the current Department for Business and Trade.
Not to be confused with Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

1, Victoria Street, London
Department overview
Formed14 July 2016
Preceding agencies
Dissolved7 February 2023
Superseding agencies
JurisdictionGovernment of the United Kingdom
Headquarters1, Victoria Street, London[1]
Annual budget£13.8 billion (current) in 2016–17[2]
Minister responsible
Department executive
  • Permanent Secretary
Child agencies
Websitewww.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-energy-and-industrial-strategy

The department was formed during a machinery of government change on 14 July 2016, following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister, through a merger between the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).[4]

On 7 February 2023, the department was dissolved. Its functions were split into three new departments: the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology. Grant Shapps, the final secretary of state for the old department, became the first Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.[5]

Responsibilities

The department had responsibility for:[4]

While some functions of the former Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, in respect of higher and further education policy, apprenticeships, and skills, were transferred to the Department for Education, May explained in a statement:

The Department for Energy and Climate Change and the remaining functions of the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills have been merged to form a new Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, bringing together responsibility for business, industrial strategy, science, and innovation with energy and climate change policy. The new department will be responsible for helping to ensure that the economy grows strongly in all parts of the country, based on a robust industrial strategy. It will ensure that the UK has energy supplies that are reliable, affordable, and clean, and it will make the most of the economic opportunities of new technologies and support the UK's global competitiveness more effectively.[6]

Research and innovation partnerships in low and middle-income countries

BEIS spends part of the overseas aid budget on research and innovation through two major initiatives: The Newton Fund and the Global Challenges Research Fund, or GCRF. Both funds aim to leverage the UK's world-class research and innovation capacity to pioneer new ways to support economic development, social welfare, and long-term sustainable and equitable growth in low- and middle-income countries. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with partner countries to support their economic development and social welfare and to develop their research and innovation capacity for long-term sustainable growth. The fund is delivered through seven UK delivery partners.

National Security and Investment Act 2021

In August 2022, BEIS blocked the sale of Pulsic Limited in Bristol to a company owned by China's National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund. Pulsic is a chip design software company which makes tools to design and develop circuit layouts for chips.[7]

In November 2022, BEIS ordered Nexperia to sell at least 86 percent of Newport Wafer Fab, the largest chipmaking facility in the UK, which it had acquired in July 2021. In 2018, a Chinese corporation by the name of Wingtech Technology acquired Nexperia.[8]

Devolution

Some responsibilities extend to England alone due to devolution, while others are reserved or excepted matters that therefore apply to the other countries of the United Kingdom as well.

Reserved and exceptioned matters are outlined below.

Scotland

Reserved matters:[9]

The Economy Directorates of the Scottish Government handles devolved economic policy.

Northern Ireland

Reserved matters:[10]

Excepted matter:[11] [12]

The department's main counterpart is:[13]

Ministers

The final roster of ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were:[14]

Minister Rank Portfolio
Grant Shapps MP Secretary of State Overall responsibility for the department; leading the government's relationship with business; ensuring that the country has secure energy supplies that are reliable, affordable and clean; ensuring the UK remains at the leading edge of science, research and innovation, this includes responsibility for: the UK's membership of Horizon Europe, the Advanced Research & Invention Agency, the Innovation Strategy and R&D People & Culture Strategy, the Office for AI, our European Space Agency membership; steel and metals, critical minerals and the maritime, automotive and aerospace sectors.
Graham Stuart MP Minister of State for Climate[15] Net Zero Strategy; net zero (science and innovation); carbon budgets; low carbon generation; international energy; EU energy and climate; international climate change; hydrogen; carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS); nuclear; nuclear supply chains; smart systems.
Nus Ghani MP Minister of State for Industry Advanced manufacturing (including aerospace, Made Smarter, defence); OneWeb; automotive (including Office for Zero Emission Vehicles); infrastructure and materials (including steel, energy-intensive industries, chemicals, construction); industrial decarbonisation; professional and business services; retail, consumer goods and personal care; hospitality, weddings and nightclubs; economic shocks; supply chains; levelling up / regional growth; skills.
George Freeman MP Minister of State for Science and Investment Security Science and research (domestic and international); Horizon Europe membership; innovation strategy / science superpower; critical minerals and critical mineral supply chains; maritime and shipbuilding; life sciences (including vaccine production); space strategy (excluding OneWeb); technology, strategy and security; artificial intelligence (including the Office for AI); fusion; R&D people and culture strategy; research approvals.
Kevin Hollinrake MP Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Enterprise and Markets Small business, enterprise and access to finance; COVID-19 business support; business frameworks; consumer and competition policy; better regulation; Office for Product Safety and Standards; labour markets; recognition of professional qualifications; Groceries Code Adjudicator and Pubs Code Adjudicator; postal affairs; subsidy control; British Business Bank; EU issues, internal market implementation and trade (Commons lead); intellectual property; retained EU laws (Commons lead); Brexit opportunities (Commons lead).
Lord Callanan Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility Lords lead on all BEIS business; Brexit opportunities; EU issues, internal market implementation and trade; devolved administrations; green finance; HM Land Registry; Ordnance Survey; energy efficiency; smart meters; fuel poverty; clean heat; Insolvency Service; company law (including Companies House); audit (including Financial Reporting Council); corporate governance and responsibility.

In October 2016, Archie Norman was appointed as Lead Non-Executive Board Member for BEIS.[16]

References
  1. "New Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy swallows up DECC and BIS – full details and reaction – Civil Service World".
  2. Budget 2011 (PDF). London: HM Treasury. 2011. p. 48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  3. "Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy". gov.uk. Government Digital Service. 16 February 2019. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  4. "About us". GOV.UK. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  5. Crerar, Pippa; Elgot, Jessica (7 February 2023). "Rishi Sunak appoints Greg Hands as Conservative party chair in cabinet mini-reshuffle". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  6. "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament". questions-statements.parliament.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  7. Robinson, Dan (19 August 2022). "UK blocks sale of chip design software company to China". Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  8. Sharwood, Simon (17 November 2022). "UK forces China company to offload Newport Wafer Fab". Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  9. "Scotland Act 1998, Schedule 5, Part II". Opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  10. "Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3". Opsi.gov.uk. 25 June 1998. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  11. "Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 2". Opsi.gov.uk. 25 June 1998. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  12. Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3
  13. "Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999". Opsi.gov.uk. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  14. This article contains OGL licensed text This article incorporates text published under the British Open Government Licence: "Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  15. "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022".
  16. "Business Secretary appoints Archie Norman as Lead Non-Executive Board Member". gov.uk. 3 October 2016.


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