Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

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The Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS) is a ministerial department of the United Kingdom Government created on 5 June 2009 by the merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR).[1]

Spinning Fukushima nuclear meltdown

In June 2011, BIS was involved in a public relations strategy to play down the Fukushima nuclear accident before the full extent of the radiation leak was known.

The Guardian revealed that a BIS official emailed the Nuclear Industry Association and nuclear companies on 13 March 2011, two days after the disaster. The official argued it was not as bad as the 'dramatic' TV pictures made it seem – even though two explosions at reactors on the site were yet to happen. The official said that if companies sent in their comments, they could be incorporated into briefs to ministers and government statements.

On 7 April 2011, the Department for Energy and Climate Change's Office for Nuclear Development invited companies to attend a meeting at the NIA's headquarters in London. The aim was 'to discuss a joint communications and engagement strategy aimed at ensuring we maintain confidence among the British public on the safety of nuclear power stations and nuclear new-build policy in light of recent events at the Fukushima nuclear power plant'.[2]

People

Ministers

  • The Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State, Universities and science, innovation, space
  • Lord Green, Minister of State, Trade and investment
  • Jo Swinson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Employment relations, consumer and postal affairs
  • Lord Younger[3] - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Intellectual property

Civil servants

The Permanent Secretary is Martin Donnelly, following the departure of Simon Fraser CMG, on 26 August 2010.

Subsidiary elements

Non-ministerial department

Office of Fair Trading | K Trade & Investment | Competition and Markets Authority

Executive agency

Companies House | UK Space Agency | The Insolvency Service | National Measurement Office | Skills Funding Agency | Intellectual Property Office | Met Office | Land Registry | Ordnance Survey

Executive non-departmental public body

Higher Education Funding Council for England | Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service | Arts and Humanities Research Council | British Hallmarking Council | Construction Industry Training Board | Economic and Social Research Council | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | Engineering Construction Industry Training Board | Medical Research Council | Natural Environment Research Council | Office for Fair Access | Science and Technology Facilities Council | Student Loans Company | Technology Strategy Board | UK Atomic Energy Authority | UK Commission for Employment and Skills | Capital for Enterprise Limited | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council | Competition Service | Competition Commission | Consumer Focus

Advisory non-departmental public body

Council for Science and Technology | Low Pay Commission | Industrial Development Advisory Board | Land Registration Rule Committee | Regulatory Policy Committee | Export Guarantees Advisory Council

Tribunal non-departmental public body

Competition Appeal Tribunal | Central Arbitration Committee | Copyright Tribunal | Insolvency Practitioners Tribunal

Other

Certification Office | Office of Manpower Economics | UK Green Investment Bank | Groceries Code Adjudicator | Government Office for Science


Website

Official: http://www.gov.uk/bis

See also:

Precursor departments:

Notes

  1. ↑ Number 10, Prime Minister's Office: Changes to the machinery of Government Friday 5 June 2009
  2. ↑ Rob Edwards, Revealed: British government's plan to play down Fukushima, The Guardian, 30 June 2011
  3. ↑ The Viscount Younger of Leckie appointed as Business Minister
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