Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November to Question 110779, whether his Department has held discussions since 2016 with the Ministry of Defence on ways to develop (a) skills and (b) capacities for nuclear submarines through exploring potential synergies with civil nuclear programmes.

The Department has had no discussions since 2016 with the Ministry of Defence on the Government’s action to develop skills and capacities for nuclear submarines through exploring potential synergies with civil nuclear programmes.

There is an industry-led Nuclear Skills Strategy Group, of which the Department, as well as the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Education, are members. This group considers skills challenges and opportunities for the wider industry and its supply chain organisations.