The government should appoint a dedicated minister and cross-government taskforce to coordinate policy for the chemical sector, the Council for Science and Technology has recommended.
A new letter to the prime minister, Andy Burnham, from the council’s co-chairs, government chief scientific adviser Prof Dame Angela McLean and crossbench peer John Browne, warns of a chemical sector in “long-term decline” and responsibilities “fragmented across departmental agendas”.
The letter says high energy costs, ageing infrastructure and under-investment in innovation are global issues, but in the UK, “these are compounded by regulatory complexity, policy instability, and the absence of a long-term strategy”.
“Crucially, responsibility is often fragmented across departmental agendas which do not align to support the sector,” it adds.
The co-chairs of the CST, which provides independent advice to the PM on science and technology policy issues across government, said this “poses a particular risk for industrial regions such as Teesside, Humber, Runcorn and Widnes and Grangemouth, where the sector creates prosperity”.
To address these issues, the letter says Burnham should begin by appointing a minister with accountability for safeguarding the UK’s critical chemical capabilities and delivering future innovation, and should empower them to coordinate cross-government policy for the chemical sector.
This minister should be responsible for identifying the sector’s role in delivering government priorities and "empowered to resolve trade-offs between policies and departments", the letter says.
"They will need to work beyond their own department, with a route to cabinet-level decisions where agreement cannot be reached," it adds. "A minister with responsibilities across BIST and DESNZ may be best placed for this role."
McLean and Browne said the minister should be supported by a dedicated cross-government unit or taskforce, drawing on independent technical and industrial expertise and led by a credible trusted expert. This team should work across government, particularly with BIST, DESNZ, Defra and HMT, they added.
The letter also recommends that the government set out a clear long-term roadmap for the UK chemical sector within the next 12 months to provide direction for government, businesses and investors. This should include targets for innovation, skills and regulation, it says.
The letter is copied to senior ministers across BIST, DESNZ, Defra, MoD, DfT, DHSC, HMT and the Cabinet Office, as well as the cabinet secretary and the relevant permanent secretaries.