Asked by: Lord Oxburgh (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to announce the result of the competition for small modular nuclear reactors.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Phase one of the small modular reactor (SMR) competition remains underway. The focus of phase one is engagement with industry, with all eligible participants given the opportunity to engage with government to help inform policy development. Phase one does not involve the down-selection of a reactor design. We will provide further information on the next steps for the SMR competition in due course.
Asked by: Lord Oxburgh (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many full time equivalent staff there are in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy working in the civil nuclear policy area and how many of them have qualifications in chemistry, physics or materials, and at what level.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
As at March 2017, there are approximately 150 posts in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) whose work relates predominantly to civil nuclear policy.
BEIS holds details of qualifications only where that qualification was a requirement for the post when it was advertised. These records are held on individual staff files and the department would incur disproportionate costs in order to obtain the information. Staff are recruited against the Civil Service competency framework, demonstrating that they possess the required experience and skills.
When developing policy in this area, BEIS also works closely with the Chief Scientific Adviser, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the National Nuclear Laboratory, and industry experts.