TENTH REPORT
The Trade and Industry Committee has agreed to
the following Report:—
UK SPACE POLICY
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Space is not a marginal area of policy or expenditure.
In 2000-01, UK Government civil space expenditure will total £181m.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will contribute £91m
through the industry budget, and around £56m through the
Office of Science and Technology's allocations to the Particle
Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) and the Natural
Environment Research Council (NERC). The rest comes from a variety
of public bodies. A survey undertaken on behalf of the British
National Space Centre (BNSC) and completed in June 1999 showed
that total commercial space turnover in 1997-98 was £700m,
a decline from £740m.[1]
The communications sector dominates the industry with a 42% share
of turnover, followed by the Earth observation (EO) sector with
36%.[2]
2. There was no published UK space strategy until
July 1996, when the first Space Forward Plan was published
by the then Minister Ian Taylor MP. This had been preceded by
a consultation process that included a Public Forum in September
1995, the publication of a Discussion Document in December1995,
and a draft Forward Plan in June 1996. Following a change of Government
in 1997, a new round of consultation began that included a seminar
in Leeds in April 1998 to discuss a draft of the UK space plan.[3]
The draft was roundly criticised for a lack of vision. On 3 August
1999, Lord Sainsbury published the second UK Space Strategy
1999-2002: New Frontiers, setting out the UK's priorities
in space.[4]
3. In November 1999 we decided to undertake an inquiry
into a number of aspects of UK space policy, taking New Frontiers
as a starting point.[5]
We heard oral evidence on 14 March 2000 from the UK Industrial
Space Committee (UKISC); the Association of Specialist Technical
Organisations for Space (ASTOS); and the British Association of
Remote Sensing Companies (BARSC). On 11 April 2000 we heard evidence
from PPARC; the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS); Professor Colin
Pillinger of the Open University; and Bristol Spaceplanes alongside
Reaction Engines Ltd and Mark Hempsell of Bristol University.
The Minister for Science, Lord Sainsbury of Turville, gave oral
evidence on 9 May 2000. In the course of a visit to Sweden and
the Netherlands in December 1999 looking at a number of other
issues, we visited the European Space Technology Centre (ESTEC)
at Noordwijk in the Netherlands.[6]
In the course of our February 2000 visit to Brussels we were briefed
on the development of EU policy on space by Mr Herbert Allgeier
of the Joint Research Centre. We paid very informative visits
to Surrey Satellites Technology Ltd on 11 April 2000 and to Matra
Marconi Space on 8 May 2000. In the course of our June 2000 visit
to Finland, we were briefed on Finnish space policy. The Committee
benefited from the advice of our Specialist Advisers, Professor
Mike Cruise of Birmingham University and Dr Chris Welch of Kingston
University. We are also grateful for all the written evidence
we have received.
4. The UK space plan was the subject of an Adjournment
debate on 4 November 1987;[7]
the Government's financial participation in space research and
development was raised on the Easter Adjournment on 25 March 1988.[8]
There was no further debate in the House of Commons until an Adjournment
debate on 21 July 1994[9].
There has been no debate since. Given the relative paucity
of debate in the House in recent years, we recommend a debate
on this Report and the Government's Response. We also recommend
the publication of an annual report to Parliament from British
National Space Centre (BNSC) on its work as a means of providing
the material necessary for the proper exercise of accountability
to Parliament. This report should set out in comprehensible
form what BNSC does and why.
1 Real space turnover rose between 1991-92 to a level
of £788m (£740m at 1995-96 prices). www.bnsc.gov.uk/exsum/main.htm Back
2 UK
Space Strategy 1999-2002, New Frontiers,
p60 Back
3 UK
Space Policy Forward Plan,
July 1996, p2; see also Ev, p165 Back
4 Referred
to in this report as New Frontiers Back
5 Press
notice 32 of Session 1998-99, 10 November 1999 Back
6 ESTEC
is an European Space Agency (ESA) facility Back
7 HC
Deb, 4 November 1987, c1039-48, Back
8 HC
Deb, 25 March 1988, c632-5 Back
9 HC
Deb, 21 July 1994, c574 Back
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