Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Spaceflight Sector

Thursday 24 November 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial consent granted for Britain's first spaceport licence in Cornwall.
  • Civil Aviation Authority to issue a licence for the first orbital space launch in the UK and Europe.
  • Plans to visit the construction site of additional spaceport pads in the future.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 David Duguid Con
Context

The question arises from the Department's recent actions to support the spaceflight industry, including granting a licence to Britain's first spaceport.

Question

What recent steps has the Department taken to support the spaceflight sector? I am grateful for the grant of consent to issue a licence to Britain's first ever spaceport in Cornwall and acknowledge the work being done by my hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (Steve Double).

Answer from Mark Harper

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for asking this question. I have granted consent to the Civil Aviation Authority to issue a licence to Britain's first ever spaceport, paving the way for the first ever orbital space launch from the UK, or indeed from anywhere in Europe. The launch from Spaceport Cornwall remains on track for later this year.

Answered
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Q2 David Duguid Con
Business & Trade
Context

The question follows up on the work done at SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland, which has completed its first launchpad and is set for orbital launches of small satellites.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend or any of his Ministers have plans to visit the site where construction is going on of the other two pads? I welcome all new Ministers and join the Secretary of State in congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (Steve Double) on the work being done in Cornwall, which is an example along with SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland.

Answer from Mark Harper

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for reminding us of the work that the UK Government do across the whole United Kingdom. The work at SaxaVord is very exciting and I hope to have the opportunity to visit it in due course.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not confirm a specific date or plan for visiting SaxaVord spaceport.

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Q3 Alistair Carmichael Lib Dem Orkney and Shetland
Scotland
Context

The Secretary of State has announced a visit to Shetland, where SaxaVord spaceport is developing three launchpads for European companies. The island faces challenges in service delivery due to the reliance on ferries.

Question

When he visits, however, he will see the difficulties in developing something such as that on an island that requires the service of two ferries. When he leaves, he might therefore be prepared to support our campaign to have fixed links to replace the ferries in the future. The news that the Secretary of State will visit Shetland for a second time is welcomed by all in the county.

Answer from Mark Harper

I would be very pleased to visit Shetland again, which my right hon. Friend—I will call him that, as we worked together in government a number of years ago—represents so ably. On his specific point, those issues are devolved to the Scottish Government. However, as has been said from this Dispatch Box, I look forward to working in partnership with colleagues in the Scottish Government to focus on the priorities of people across the United Kingdom, including his constituents in Shetland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister avoided committing to support for fixed links campaign due to devolved responsibilities.

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