Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what progress his Department has made on developing a domestic supply of medical isotopes as part of the Medical Radionuclide Innovation Programme.

The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero is delivering the up to £6 million Medical Radionuclide Innovation Programme (MRIP) which aims to identify technology and policy options that could support domestic supply of medical radionuclides in the future.

MRIP launched in December 2022 and will run until March 2025.

The programme will deliver an assessment of the UK supply and demand landscape, building on existing research. It will test data against potential future scenarios to inform policy development and future Government decision-making. Officials are currently finalising Phase I of the Landscape Assessment, with Phase II commencing next financial year to focus on modelling future supply and demand scenarios.

In parallel, several feasibility studies are ongoing by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to assess whether the retrieval of radionuclides from legacy material is possible, and whether this material might be useful in supporting domestic supply and research.

The Innovation Project Call aims to spark innovation in the field and the competitive call will commence later this year. The call aims to spark innovation across the supply chain, to develop new radionuclide production capability in the UK.