Business, Innovation and Skills Committee
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| Business, Innovation and Skills Committee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Business, Innovation and Skills Committee |
| Chamber | House of Commons |
| Formed | 2009 |
| Dissolved | 2016 |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Chairs | Peter Luff, Joan Walley, Iain Wright |
| Parent body | Select committee (United Kingdom House of Commons) |
| Successor | Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee |
Business, Innovation and Skills Committee was a select committee of the House of Commons established to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its associated public bodies. It operated during the Parliament of the United Kingdom spanning leaderships including Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and Theresa May, and interacted with major institutions such as the Competition and Markets Authority, Companies House, and the UK Research and Innovation landscape before its functions were reorganised into successor committees. The committee held ministers, agencies and corporations to account through oral evidence, written correspondence and published reports that influenced debates in the House of Commons and policymaking across sectors like automotive, aerospace and higher education.
History
The committee emerged from reforms following the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent reshaping of departmental structures under the Brown ministry and the Cameron–Clegg coalition. It oversaw the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills created in 2009 by the Brown ministry by merging functions from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Throughout the 2010 United Kingdom general election aftermath and the 2015 United Kingdom general election, the committee adapted inquiries to shifting priorities such as the Bank of England interventions, the activities of the Financial Conduct Authority, and industrial strategy debates sparked by reports from the Confederation of British Industry and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Membership
Membership typically comprised MPs from parties represented in the House of Commons, appointed under the rules overseen by the Committee of Selection (UK Parliament). Chairs included Peter Luff (Conservative), Joan Walley (Labour), and Iain Wright (Labour), with members drawn from constituencies such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, and Glasgow. Members engaged with stakeholders including representatives from British Chambers of Commerce, Trades Union Congress, CBI, and leading corporations like Rolls-Royce, Jaguar Land Rover, BAE Systems, and GlaxoSmithKline. Cross-party composition enabled scrutiny involving figures from the Treasury Committee, the Public Accounts Committee, and external experts from institutions such as the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford.
Responsibilities and Remit
The committee's remit covered oversight of departmental policy, administration and expenditure associated with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, including oversight of agencies like Intellectual Property Office, UK Trade & Investment, and Research Councils UK. It examined legislation originating from the department in coordination with the House of Commons Procedure Committee and assessed impacts on sectors represented by organisations such as the Federation of Small Businesses and the Institute of Directors. The remit extended to scrutiny of major public investments and interventions involving bodies such as the European Investment Bank and initiatives associated with the Industrial Strategy debates promoted by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy successor.
Inquiries and Reports
The committee conducted a broad range of inquiries, convening witnesses from entities like Amazon (company), Google, Facebook, Tesco, BT Group, National Grid plc, and Network Rail to gather oral evidence. Reports addressed issues including corporate governance with reference to Cadbury Report, access to finance referencing the Royal Bank of Scotland controversy and the Funding for Lending Scheme, innovation ecosystems tied to Nesta and Innovate UK, and higher education finance drawing on submissions from University of Cambridge, University of Manchester, Imperial College London and Russell Group (United Kingdom). Published reports were debated in the House of Commons Chamber and cited in parliamentary questions posed to ministers such as Vince Cable and Greg Clark.
Impact and Criticism
The committee influenced policy changes, contributing to amendments in regulatory frameworks that involved the Competition and Markets Authority and prompting ministerial statements from figures including Michael Gove and Kwasi Kwarteng. Its reports were used by civil society actors like Consumer Rights Action Group and legal challenges brought before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Court of Appeal. Critics argued the committee sometimes lacked teeth compared with statutory regulators such as the Prudential Regulation Authority and the Financial Conduct Authority, and commentators in outlets like The Guardian, The Times, and the Financial Times questioned its capacity to enforce recommendations against powerful corporate interests including HSBC and Barclays.
Secretariat and Administration
Secretarial support was provided by the House of Commons staff drawn from the Clerk of the House of Commons service, with administrative links to the Parliamentary Digital Service and procedural advice from the Parliamentary Counsel. The committee coordinated hearings in rooms such as Committee Room 14 (House of Commons) and published agendas and transcripts via the Parliamentary Archives and the Hansard record. Upon departmental reorganisation after the 2016 reshuffle and the creation of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, staff and resources were transferred to successor select committees and associated parliamentary services.