Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the closure of the Barnoldswick Rolls-Royce factory.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Rolls-Royce has not proposed the closure of the Rolls-Royce factory at Barnoldswick. The company is undergoing a global restructuring and footprint review; they announced in August that they would be reducing manufacturing activity across the company’s sites globally, including in Barnoldswick. Rolls-Royce also announced that they will retain key capabilities in Barnoldswick, including a fan blade product development and technical centre.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish a new cross-departmental National Space Strategy.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s space sector can strengthen our national capabilities, create high-skilled jobs and drive future economic growth across the UK. In order to support this, the Queen’s Speech on 19 December set out the Government’s intent to establish a new National Space Council and launch a comprehensive UK Space Strategy. The Council will consider its strategy in due course.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how governance of the UK’s equity investment in OneWeb will be structured to maintain the competitive market and level playing field for all UK satellite operators.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government is mindful of its responsibility to the?Space sector. The commercial operation of?OneWeb will be kept separate from?the Government’s duties to ensure the transparent and effective operation of markets.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the current generation of OneWeb satellites are solely for communications services; and what plans they have for a second generation of satellites capable of providing secure positioning data.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The current generation of?OneWeb?satellites deliver?satellite communications services. We are currently assessing the wider use of their capabilities.
Dedicated work is ongoing across Government to determine the UK’s positioning, navigation and timing requirements and assess options for meeting them.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to expand the Hydrogen Advisory Council as part of the formation of a wider UK hydrogen strategy.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are committed to developing hydrogen as a decarbonised energy carrier and are developing our strategic approach to growing the UK hydrogen economy.?In order to support this, we established?the?Hydrogen Advisory Council, which first met on 20th July 2020. The Council will enable Government to work in?partnership with Industry to ensure the UK is at the forefront of low carbon hydrogen production and supply, which will have a key role to play in supporting clean growth and tackling climate change.
The Council will initially focus on actions to enable the scale up of hydrogen production, and its membership reflects this. The Council will oversee a range of workstreams in support of its objectives.?If deemed appropriate, some of the workstreams may be delivered by working groups, membership of which may come from the organisations represented on the Council and/or more widely according to need.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to utilise OneWeb in their future defence and commercial strategies; and how many jobs they estimate will result from their investment in OneWeb in the UK.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
OneWeb and its capabilities will be considered as part of the Space Strategy under the direction of the National Space Council. As the?OneWeb?offering matures, we will monitor its utility to critical national infrastructure,?as we do with a variety of capabilities and providers.
The agreement we have secured with Bharti?secures 70 existing UK jobs in?OneWeb,?and?we?will be looking to?expand the company and its supply chain in the UK.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Callanan on 8 July (HL Deb, col 1119), how long they estimate it will take OneWeb to provide the UK with sovereign-controlled satellite capabilities.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are working with the company and our partners, and the capability will be available once the constellation reaches minimum viable service.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the development consent order for the proposed nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd will be approved.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State is considering the Examining Authority’s Recommendation Report regarding development consent for the proposed Wylfa Newydd nuclear power station. This Report is being reviewed alongside the further information received following the Government’s post-examination consultation on the application. The deadline for the Secretary of State’s decision is 30 September 2020.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with ACU Strategic Partners about the future construction of nuclear power stations.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government engages in discussions with numerous companies in the nuclear sector. I am unable to comment on any specific discussions due to commercial sensitivities.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station will begin; and what funding model will be used for that construction.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It is for individual developers to consider milestones, such as estimates of when construction will commence. Any funding model would be agreed as part of a negotiation, should the Government enter into one.