Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill (Fourth sitting)

Mark Jenkinson Excerpts

Committee stage
Thursday 18th November 2021 Public Bill Committees

Scotland benefits from a lot of this country’s nuclear infrastructure. I am always a bit puzzled about why the SNP does not seem particularly interested in the jobs in Scotland that are involved in this country’s critical nuclear infrastructure.

[Mark Jenkinson (Workington) (Con)]

Is it not the case that the rest of the UK can learn from Scotland’s lead on net zero when we see the low-carbon content of their grid, which is thanks to nuclear technology?

[Greg Hands]

My hon. Friend makes a very strong point—one made by quite a few people who were in Glasgow just two weeks ago. Ironically, in Scotland, making that argument strongly were not just the UK Government, but countries from all over the world. They were making the argument for nuclear power being part of our low-carbon future.

The powers of the Scottish Government are unchanged. The Bill makes provisions for the Secretary of State to consult named persons and organisations prior to the specification of any project under a nuclear RAB, and to consult those persons or organisations before he or she amends a projects licence to insert RAB conditions. Ministers in devolved Administrations will be captured—in scope, I should say; not physically—by this consultation.