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Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

1, Victoria Street, London
Department overview
Formed	14 July 2016
Preceding agencies	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Department of Energy and Climate Change
Dissolved	7 February 2023
Superseding agencies	Department for Business and Trade Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Jurisdiction	Government of the United Kingdom
Headquarters	1, Victoria Street, London
Annual budget	£13.8 billion (current) in 2016–17
Minister responsible	Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Department executive	Permanent Secretary
Child agencies	Companies House HM Land Registry Insolvency Service Intellectual Property Office Met Office UK Space Agency Oil and Gas Authority
Website	gov.uk/beis

The Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) was a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government, from July 2016 to February 2023.

The department was formed during a machinery of government change on 14 July 2016, following Theresa May's appointment as Prime Minister. It was created by a merger between the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills and the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

On 7 February 2023, under the Rishi Sunak premiership, the department was dissolved. Its functions were split into three new departments: the Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology. Grant Shapps, the final secretary of state for the old department, became the first Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Responsibilities

The department had responsibility for:

• business
• industrial strategy
• science, research, and innovation
• deregulation
• energy and clean growth
• climate change

While some functions of the former Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills, in respect of higher and further education policy, apprenticeships, and skills, were transferred to the Department for Education, May explained in a statement:

The Department for Energy and Climate Change and the remaining functions of the Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills have been merged to form a new Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, bringing together responsibility for business, industrial strategy, science, and innovation with energy and climate change policy. The new department will be responsible for helping to ensure that the economy grows strongly in all parts of the country, based on a robust industrial strategy. It will ensure that the UK has energy supplies that are reliable, affordable, and clean, and it will make the most of the economic opportunities of new technologies and support the UK's global competitiveness more effectively.

Research and innovation partnerships in low and middle-income countries

BEIS spends part of the overseas aid budget on research and innovation through two major initiatives: The Newton Fund and the Global Challenges Research Fund, or GCRF. Both funds aim to leverage the UK's world-class research and innovation capacity to pioneer new ways to support economic development, social welfare, and long-term sustainable and equitable growth in low- and middle-income countries. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with partner countries to support their economic development and social welfare and to develop their research and innovation capacity for long-term sustainable growth. The fund is delivered through seven UK delivery partners.

National Security and Investment Act 2021

In August 2022, BEIS blocked the sale of Pulsic Limited in Bristol to a company owned by China's National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund. Pulsic is a chip design software company which makes tools to design and develop circuit layouts for chips.

In November 2022, BEIS ordered Nexperia to sell at least 86 percent of Newport Wafer Fab, the largest chipmaking facility in the UK, which it had acquired in July 2021. In 2018, a Chinese corporation by the name of Wingtech Technology acquired Nexperia.

Devolution

Some responsibilities extend to England alone due to devolution, while others are reserved or excepted matters that therefore apply to the other countries of the United Kingdom as well.

Reserved and exceptioned matters are outlined below.

Scotland

Reserved matters:

• Business regulation and support
• Climate change policy
• Company law
• Competition
• Consumer protection
• Corporate governance
• Import and export control
• Employment relations
• Energy
• Energy law
• Export licensing
• Insolvency
• Intellectual property
• Nuclear energy
• Outer space
• Postal services
• Product standards, safety and liability
• Research councils
• Science and research
• Telecommunications
• Time
• Trade associations
• Units of measurement

The Economy Directorates of the Scottish Government handles devolved economic policy.

Northern Ireland

Reserved matters:

• Climate change policy
• Competition
• Consumer protection
• Import and export control
• Export licensing
• Intellectual property
• Nuclear energy
• Postal services
• Product standards, safety and liability
• Research councils
• Science and research
• Telecommunications
• Units of measurement

Excepted matter:

• Outer space
• Nuclear power

The department's main counterpart is:

• Department for the Economy (general economic policy)

Ministers

The final roster of ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were:

In October 2016, Archie Norman was appointed as Lead Non-Executive board member for BEIS.

References

1. "New Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy swallows up DECC and BIS – full details and reaction – Civil Service World".
2. Budget 2011 (PDF). London: HM Treasury. 2011. p. 48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 August 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
3. "Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy". gov.uk. Government Digital Service. 16 February 2019. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
4. ^ "About us". GOV.UK. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
5. Crerar, Pippa; Elgot, Jessica (7 February 2023). "Rishi Sunak appoints Greg Hands as Conservative party chair in cabinet mini-reshuffle". The Guardian. The Guardian. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
6. "Written statements – Written questions, answers and statements – UK Parliament". questions-statements.parliament.uk. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
7. Robinson, Dan (19 August 2022). "UK blocks sale of chip design software company to China". Retrieved 20 November 2022.
8. Sharwood, Simon (17 November 2022). "UK forces China company to offload Newport Wafer Fab". Retrieved 20 November 2022.
9. "Scotland Act 1998, Schedule 5, Part II". Opsi.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
10. "Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3". Opsi.gov.uk. 25 June 1998. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
11. "Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 2". Opsi.gov.uk. 25 June 1998. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
12. Northern Ireland Act 1998, Schedule 3
13. "Departments (Transfer and Assignment of Functions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1999". Opsi.gov.uk. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
14.  This article incorporates text published under the British Open Government Licence: "Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
15. "Ministerial Appointments: September 2022".
16. "Business Secretary appoints Archie Norman as Lead Non-Executive Board Member". gov.uk. 3 October 2016.

v t e Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Ministers	Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Grant Shapps Minister of State for Climate: Graham Stuart Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation: George Freeman Minister of State for Industry and Investment Security: Nusrat Ghani Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business: Kevin Hollinrake Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility): Lord Callanan
Non-ministerial departments	Competition and Markets Authority HM Land Registry Ofgem
Executive agencies	Companies House Insolvency Service Intellectual Property Office Met Office UK Space Agency
Non-departmental public bodies	Executive Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service British Hallmarking Council Civil Nuclear Police Authority Committee on Climate Change Competition Service Mining Remediation Authority Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Salix Finance Ltd Small Business Commissioner UK Atomic Energy Authority UK Research and Innovation Innovate UK Advisory Committee on Fuel Poverty Committee on Radioactive Waste Management Industrial Development Advisory Board Land Registration Rule Committee Low Pay Commission Nuclear Liabilities Financing Assurance Board Regulatory Policy Committee Tribunal Central Arbitration Committee Competition Appeal Tribunal Copyright Tribunal
Research councils	Arts and Humanities Research Council Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Economic and Social Research Council Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Medical Research Council Natural Environment Research Council Science and Technology Facilities Council
Other	British Business Bank Certification Officer Commissioner for Shale Gas Financial Reporting Council Government Office for Science Council for Science and Technology Groceries Code Adjudicator Independent Complaints Reviewer Office of Manpower Economics Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies Office for Product Safety & Standards Oil and Gas Authority Ordnance Survey Pubs Code Adjudicator
Category

• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
• Defunct departments of the Government of the United Kingdom
• 2016 establishments in the United Kingdom
• Business in the United Kingdom
• Economy ministries
• Energy ministries
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• Research ministries
• Energy in the United Kingdom
• Innovation in the United Kingdom
• Ministries established in 2016
• 2023 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
• Government agencies disestablished in the 2020s