UK Space Agency: Performance Targets
House of Lords

Baroness Wilcox (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Business, Innovation and Skills; Conservative)

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Universities and Science (David Willetts) has today made the following Statement.

I have tasked the UK Space Agency to provide policy support to Ministers on civil space issues and to lead a civil space programme which delivers maximum economic, scientific, and policy benefits for the UK.

I have set the UK Space Agency the following key targets for 2012-13:

to advise BIS on affordable options for UK participation in the ESA in readiness for the ESA ministerial planned for November 2012, setting out the advantages and disadvantages of the options;to ensure the ESA programme brings benefit to UK industry, and the research base;to implement the proposal for the £21 million investment in the low-cost constellation of operational small radar satellites (NovaSAR); to work with industry on amendments to reduce burdens placed on satellite operators, and based on the public consultation, set out a timeline to implement agreed proposals for change to the Outer Space Act; andto improve performance of the agency by implementing 2011-12 audit recommendations over the period 2012-13-2014-15.

Target measurement techniques:

target 1-decisions made on investment proposed by November 2012. This will need both BIS and HMT agreement; target 2-measured by the industrial return figures of ESA that reflect the work won by UK organisations against an ideal of return coefficient of 1;target 3-a decision on the grant will be by June 2012, payment by March 2013, with the grant review open for the normal five year window;target 4-consultation released in May 2012 and final plan by December 2012; andtarget 5-improvement in agency performance will be reflected in audit reports in 2012-13 and 2013-14.