Oral Answers to Questions

Antoinette Sandbach Excerpts
Tuesday 14th March 2017

(7 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nick Hurd Portrait Mr Hurd
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I thank my hon. Friend for his question and wholly endorse what he says. The Secretary of State and I saw at first-hand when visiting the new Siemens offshore wind blade turbine factory in Hull just what this technology and engineering can do to inspire, in particular, young people in the area about opportunities for employment in this exciting sector.

Antoinette Sandbach Portrait Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Con)
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Nuclear power is an important part of the transition to a low-carbon economy. Will the Minister update us on the small modular reactor competition?

Nick Hurd Portrait Mr Hurd
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I congratulate my hon. Friend on her election to the Select Committee, and she is absolutely right: energy innovation is critical to both our future ability to reduce the cost of decarbonisation and unlocking the industrial opportunities inside the low-carbon energy sector. We are reviewing our plans in relation to our energy innovation portfolio. The nuclear industry is a very important part of those plans, and I hope we will have something to say very shortly.