§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in joint working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the promotion of UK science, engineering and technology. [159007]
§ Ms HewittI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Middlesborough South and East Cleveland ( Dr. Kumar) on 20 November 2003,Official Report, column 1443W.
Subsequently, my Department's Innovation Report has been published and I am confident that the measures we have set out in Chapter 7, 'Global Links', of the Report will lead to wider co-ordination on the international innovation agenda across Government which builds on the work already undertaken by the Chief Scientific Adviser's Committee (CSAIC) chaired by the Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King, and the International Science Technology Trade and Investment Committee (ISTTIC) chaired by the UKTI Chief Executive, Sir Stephen Brown.
The report also identifies specific initiatives, such as 'Global Watch', which will be expanded to help raise the international competitiveness of UK industry and commerce.