Stephen Timms' portfolio also covers everything from e-commerce to bioscience and creative industries to shipbuilding

Stephen Timms will oversee a total of twelve business sectors on top of his responsibilities as minister in charge of construction, it has emerged.


Stephen Timms

In a newly-published list of ministerial responsibilities Timms, who is officially minister of state for competitiveness, will look after e-commerce, communications, information, bioscience, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, shipbuilding, automotive, manufacturing, creative industries, retail, steel and construction as part of his brief.

He is also responsible for enterprise, growth and business investment, regional economies, business support simplification, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, as well as overseeing the Small Business Service, Companies House, the Shareholder Executive and the Industrial Development Unit.

The extensive list of Timms’ ministerial duties at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) is likely to lead to concerns the Minister will be unable to provide leadership for any particular sector.

Other ministers in DBERR have smaller portfolios in charge of energy, employment relations and postal affairs, and trade promotion and investment.