Teaching Excellence Framework
Debate between Viscount Younger of Leckie and Lord Teverson
Lord Teverson (LD)
My Lords, as someone who received a lower Second, could my degree be inflated to a double-starred First under this new system?
Viscount Younger of Leckie
One could assume that that was perhaps grade inflation but, hopefully, it would be due to grade improvement.
Nuclear Energy: Small Modular Reactor
Debate between Viscount Younger of Leckie and Lord Teverson
Viscount Younger of Leckie
We are aware of the interest in Wales as regards that particular siting. However, as I said earlier, a decision has not been made on where the sites might be. Perhaps I can reassure the noble Lord that as much as possible is being done to look at the early rolling-out of the SMRs, but it is a complex matter.
Lord Teverson (LD)
My Lords, I welcome Rolls-Royce’s great expertise in this area, but as the term “modular” suggests, the only way in which these reactors can become commercially economic is if they roll off a production line, which it is estimated requires some 50 to 60 reactors to be produced over a lifetime. Is that not wildly optimistic? Surely it will never happen, certainly given changes and developments in other technologies in the energy field.
Viscount Younger of Leckie
The noble Lord alludes to the different types of reactor. We are not necessarily looking at one small modular reactor; it is much more complicated than that. Some micro-reactors might be helpful, for example, in introducing the SMRs into districts to help with heating for multiple schools and so on. The claimed advantages for SMRs include easier-to-finance projects with lower up-front capital costs. They are smaller projects which are quicker to build. There is a lower construction risk and a greater deal of efficiency in their manufacture. So there are advantages, but there is more work to be done.
Bombardier
Debate between Viscount Younger of Leckie and Lord Teverson
Viscount Younger of Leckie
I will have to write to my noble friend about that specific point, as it is not in my brief. I will certainly write and give her a full briefing on that.
Lord Teverson (LD)
My Lords, I very much welcome the Government’s strong approach, but it is very optimistic to say that this is a ring-fenced issue. If the Government are speaking to the United States Administration, will they also raise the matter of the American challenge to tariff-rate quotas and the breaking-up of the agreement that has been made between the UK and Europe over tariff-rate quotas on agricultural agreements? This too could be very detrimental to this country in our Brexit negotiations, but is something that the United States Government have taken to the WTO quite aggressively.