Chris Curtis

This government is determined to get even more small and medium sized firms exporting.

Last month, we launched the Enhanced Trade Partnership with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. This partnership pilots a focused export support scheme designed to offer unparalleled targeted support to accelerate business growth through selling their products and services overseas. We have launched Unlock Europe, a new export programme designed to help UK businesses build stronger relationships with European customers.

As part of our work on a new trade strategy and a small business strategy, we are looking at further proposals to help our businesses export more.

The Department and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have supported the UK National Nuclear Laboratory’s work to extract americium from the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory at Sellafield for the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) ENDURE Programme.

The department recognises the potential importance of americium for advanced technologies, including space power systems. Whilst no decisions have been taken, government continue to explore opportunities for collaboration with industry.

Immobilisation will be a long-term programme with a number of decades until all of the UK’s civil separated plutonium is put beyond reach.

The Department and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) considered both immobilisation and re-use options. There are no existing or planned fast reactor projects in the UK that could utilise the plutonium. All current and planned UK reactors use uranium fuel.

Immobilisation can be delivered sooner and with greater certainty than re-use in fast reactors, due in part to removing reliance on delivery of a new reactor programme.

Indefinite storage of plutonium is not an acceptable solution due to the high cost of management and the enduring safety and security burden.

The trials completed in 2020 demonstrated that Orano's MIMAS process for manufacturing LWR MOX fuel could be applied to some UK plutonium.

It was assessed that immobilisation will put the plutonium beyond reach sooner and with greater confidence than re-use.

Not all of the plutonium would be suitable for re-use in fuel, so an immobilisation programme would always be required for part of the inventory.

The Department and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) considered reuse as CANMOX as part of their assessment of options for plutonium disposition. This work concluded that CANMOX was technically viable but was less mature than other options and would require further development before it could be deployed at industrial scale.

It was found that immobilisation would put the plutonium beyond reach sooner and with greater confidence than re-use.

Not all of the plutonium would be suitable for re-use in fuel, so an immobilisation programme would always be required for part of the inventory.

The Schools white paper makes clear our commitment to ensure every child can achieve and thrive by getting the most from the school day.

This is why we are rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England, so that all children, regardless of background, can have the best start in life and begin the school day ready to learn. Since April 2025, we have funded 750 schools to offer a free breakfast club as early adopters, delivering 8.5 million meals so far. Following the success of the early adopters, we have rolled out clubs in an additional 500 schools opening their doors this week. Backed by an investment of £80 million, we will fund breakfast clubs in around 2,000 schools between April 2026 and March 2027, benefitting around half a million more children.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is independently responsible for administering the ATOL scheme. Decisions on ATOL licence renewal decisions are for the CAA to take independently.

The Department continues to work with the CAA on options for ATOL reform. We expect to provide an update on progress later this year.

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

The scope of the review does not include Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) or Maintenance Enforcement Business Centre (MEBC) processes. Responsibility for REMO falls within the Ministry of Justice, as it concerns the enforcement of maintenance orders across international jurisdictions that are subject to separate legislative frameworks.

I refer the Hon. Member for Milton Keynes North to the answer I gave on 6 November 2024 to the Question 11470.

I refer the Hon. Member for Milton Keynes North to the answer I gave on 6 November 2024 to the Question 11470.

Funding for each individual hospital, including Milton Keynes Hospital, will be determined through a business case process to ensure value for taxpayers' money. In line with this process, funding is confirmed following review and agreement of the Final Business Case. Milton Keynes has therefore not yet had full funding confirmed.

Up to the end of 2023/24, the total amount received by Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in funding for the Milton Keynes Hospital scheme was £13.7 million. This provided funding for several activities to develop their new hospital scheme including developing their business case, professional fees and early enabling works.

As announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget Statement, my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will set out further details of his review into the New Hospital Programme in the coming weeks, with a publication to follow in the new year.

The UK maintains a strong relationship with Côte d'Ivoire, and we have shared interests in growth, security, and the fight against climate change.

As across Africa, the Government is focussed on building a modern partnership based on mutual respect and it is this principle which underpins our diplomatic engagement ahead of this year's important presidential election.

In 2020, the previous Government announced that the red diesel entitlement would be withdrawn from most sectors from April 2022. However, farmers retained the entitlement to use red diesel for agricultural machinery.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government extended the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelled the planned inflation increase for 2025-26, maintaining the red diesel rate at the levels set in March 2022 at 10.18p per litre.

The Government understands the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and is committed to championing sufficient access for all as a priority. This is why the Government is working closely with industry to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK. The UK banking sector has committed to deliver these hubs by the end of this parliament. 176 hubs have been announced so far, and 100 are already open.

The specific location of these hubs is determined independently by LINK, the operator of the UK’s largest ATM network. Criteria that LINK considers includes whether another bank branch remains nearby, the local population, the number of cash-accepting businesses and the financial vulnerability of the community.

Alternative options to access everyday banking services can be via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking and via the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows personal and business customers to withdraw and deposit cash, check their balance, pay bills and cash cheques at 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK.

The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.

BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 years’ residence, subject to meeting the mandatory requirements.

The new mandatory requirements for settlement are basic requirements that we think are reasonable for people to meet if they want to settle here. However, we are seeking views on earned settlement through the public consultation A Fairer Pathway to Settlement and will continue to listen to the views of Hong Kongers.

In the meantime, the current rules for settlement under the BN(O) route will continue to apply.

While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces. The Home Office is working with the policing sector to support the effective implementation of the McCloud remedy for all affected individuals.

It is for each Chief Constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable, in accordance with the Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Act 2022, including when remedy payments will be distributed.