Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)[3] is a department of the government of the United Kingdom, which was created by Theresa May on 14 July 2016 following her appointment as Prime Minister, through a merger between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).[4]
1, Victoria Street, London | |
Department overview | |
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Formed | 14 July 2016 |
Preceding agencies | |
Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
Headquarters | 1, Victoria Street, London[1] |
Annual budget | £13.8 billion (current) in 2016–17[2] |
Minister responsible |
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Department executive |
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Child agencies |
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Website | www |
Ministers
The Ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are as follows:[5]
Minister | Rank | Portfolio |
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The Rt Hon. Kwasi Kwarteng MP | Secretary of State | Overall responsibility for the department; developing and delivering a comprehensive industrial strategy and 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; tackling climate change. |
The Rt Hon. Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP | Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth | Carbon budgets; green finance; energy efficiency and heat, including fuel poverty; low carbon generation; energy retail markets; oil and gas, including shale gas; security of supply; electricity and gas wholesale markets and networks; international energy; EU energy and climate; energy security, including resilience and emergency planning. |
The Rt Hon. The Lord Grimstone of Boscobel | Minister of State for Investment (Jointly with DIT) |
covering departmental business in the House of Lords; developing a new investment strategy; promoting investment across all sectors; business investor relations; leading on the strategic relationship management programme cross-Whitehall, including account management of large UK investors; global marketing to attract investment; increasing foreign direct investment (FDI) and portfolio investment into the UK; promoting and supporting outward direct investment (ODI). |
Amanda Solloway MP | Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Science, Research and Innovation | Science and research; innovation; intellectual property; space; agri-tech; technology. |
Paul Scully MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets, and Minister for London | Small business and enterprise (including access to finance); consumer and competition (including competition law); labour markets; postal affairs; retail sector; London. |
Nadhim Zahawi MP | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Industry | Industrial Strategy delivery; Sector Deals; sectoral lead: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, materials (including steel), life sciences, professional services, nuclear, infrastructure and construction, rail supply chain, defence, maritime; supply chains; national security and investment; local growth; better regulation and regulatory reform. |
The Rt Hon. The Lord Callanan | Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Climate Change & Corporate Responsibility | EU single market on-going business; EU Structural Funds; Land Registry; Ordnance Survey; international climate change (including International Climate Fund); climate science and innovation; clean heat; smart meters and smart systems; corporate governance; insolvency. |
In October 2016, Archie Norman was appointed as Lead Non Executive Board Member for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.[6]
Responsibilities
The department has responsibility for:[4]
- business
- industrial strategy
- science, research and innovation
- energy and clean growth
- climate change
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, in a statement May explained:
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, and 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.[7]
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 excepted matters are outlined below.
Scotland
Reserved matters:[8]
- Business regulation and support
- Climate change policy
- Company law
- Competition
- Consumer protection
- Corporate governance
- Import and export control
- Employment relations
- Energy
- Energy law
- Export licensing
- Insolvency
- Intellectual property
- Nuclear energy
- Outer space
- Postal services
- Product standards, safety and liability
- Research councils
- Science and research
- Telecommunications
- Time
- Trade associations
- Units of measurement
The Economy Directorate of the Scottish Government handles devolved economic policy.
Northern Ireland
Reserved matters:[9]
- Climate change policy
- Competition
- Consumer protection
- Import and export control
- Export licensing
- Intellectual property
- Nuclear energy
- Postal services
- Product standards, safety and liability
- Research councils
- Science and research
- Telecommunications
- Units of measurement
The department's main counterpart is:[12]
- Department for the Economy (general economic policy)
References
- "New Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy swallows up DECC and BIS – full details and reaction – Civil Service World".
- Budget 2011 (PDF). London: HM Treasury. 2011. p. 48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
- "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.
- "About us". GOV.UK. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- "Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy – GOV.UK". GOV.UK. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- "Business Secretary appoints Archie Norman as Lead Non-Executive Board Member". gov.uk. 3 October 2016.
- "Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament". questions-statements.parliament.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
- "Scotland Act 1998, Schedule 5, Part II". Opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- "Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3". Opsi.gov.uk. 25 June 1998. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- "Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 2". Opsi.gov.uk. 25 June 1998. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3
- "Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999". Opsi.gov.uk. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.