§ Mr. BreedTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress is being made with the technology foresight programme; and if she will make a statement. [19289]
§ Mr. BattleThe Government are committed to driving forward the Foresight programme. They have brought Foresight into the heart of Government policy on business competitiveness. Soon after the election, the President of the Board of Trade commissioned an audit to assess the level of departmental activity in support of Foresight and identify areas where more emphasis is required. The findings and recommendations were published in October. Following the audit, the Government have set up a Ministerial Foresight Group, to provide top-level co-ordination of the programme across Whitehall. Progress is also being made in increasing business 463W participation in Foresight, the top priority for the current phase of the Programme and a key objective for the next round of Foresight which will start in 1999. Planning for this exercise is already under way. A consultative document seeking views from interested parties will be published in the Spring of next year.
As a practical demonstration of its commitment to Foresight, the Government has launched the Foresight LINK awards, which bring together business and the science base to work together on projects addressing Foresight priorities. We have also launched several new LINK programmes in response to Foresight, notably the Foresight Vehicle programme, which will develop the technologies for cleaner, leaner and safer vehicles of the future.