Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase investment in (a) solar, (b) nuclear, and (c) hydrogen power, as well as offshore and onshore wind capacity.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme is the Government’s flagship scheme for supporting new renewable electricity generation projects in Great Britain. The latest round is the largest yet and aims to secure more capacity than the three previous rounds combined by supporting an expanded number of renewable technologies including onshore and offshore wind and solar. In February the Government also announced that the next CfD allocation round will be brought forward to March 2023, and future rounds will run annually, rather than every two years, thereafter. These steps will help drive forward the deployment of renewable power.
Government support for investment in nuclear energy includes:
On hydrogen power, the Government is exploring the need and case for further market intervention to support low carbon capacity deployment and ensure unabated gas capacity has clear decarbonisation pathways. In summer 2022, the Government intends to publish a consultation expanding existing Decarbonisation Readiness requirements for new build and refurbishing combustion power plants to demonstrate they have viable decarbonisation plan by converting to either hydrogen generation or Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technology.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help the private sector to deliver new nuclear energy projects.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government has set out multiple measures to support the private sector to deliver new nuclear energy projects. The Government wants UK companies to be ambitious in the new nuclear space and be better able to compete for the higher value opportunities that will help build sustainable capabilities in the UK. To support this the Government wants new nuclear developers to share supply chain information with industry early to ensure that UK companies are positioned and prepared to bid for these opportunities.
For future New Nuclear projects (i.e. projects after Hinkley Point C), developers will be required to produce Supply Chain Plans. Developers will need to show evidence that their projects will consider growth in the UK supply chain through the development of competition, the facilitation of new entrants and by boosting innovation and skills.
In addition, the Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill is currently in Parliament. This will introduce a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model to reduce the project costs and encourage a wider range of private investment into new nuclear projects.
The Government is in constructive negotiations over Sizewell C in Suffolk and recently entered into a Combined Option agreement of £100m with EDF, to mature the project further and attract potential investment. The Government has also made up to £1.7billion of funding available to reach a final investment decision on a new large-scale nuclear power plant this Parliament, subject to value for money and relevant approvals; these funds could also involve Government investment at the point of a capital raise, helping to mobilise other private sector capital into a project.
The Government announced a £385 million Advanced Nuclear Fund. From this, £210 million has been awarded to Rolls-Royce SMR to develop their Small Modular Reactor design, matched by private sector funding of over £250 million. The Government announced a £120 million Nuclear Enabling Fund to provide targeted support to address barriers to entry for future nuclear.
A £75 million Nuclear Fuel Fund will also be created to be used alongside private sector co-investment to preserve and develop the UK’s fuel production capability.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support the development of small modular reactors.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Net Zero Strategy makes clear that nuclear is an important part of the Government’s plans to achieve net zero. Up to £210 million in Government grant funding was announced in November 2021 for Rolls-Royce SMR to further develop the design for one of the world’s first Small Modular Reactor designs, potentially capable of deployment in the UK in the early 2030s. In the Net Zero Strategy, the Government also announced up to £120 million for a Future Nuclear Enabling Fund to provide targeted support to address barriers to entry. This fund will be part of the measures the Government will take to inform investment decisions during the next Parliament on further nuclear projects, alongside a final investment decision from this Parliament on a further Gigawatt-scale project.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to develop new nuclear power stations.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government is committed to nuclear power as part of the country’s future diverse energy mix. Hinkley Point C is under construction and, when operational, will supply 3.2GW of secure, low carbon electricity for around 60 years, providing enough power for around 6 million homes. The Government is committed to approving at least one new large-scale nuclear project this Parliament, subject to value for money and all relevant approvals. The Government announced up to £1.7 billion of funding in the last Spending Review to support this objective and have been in constructive negotiations on the Sizewell C project since January 2021. On 27th January, the Government entered into a Combined Option agreement with EDF, providing £100 million of funding to further mature the project, attract investors, and advance to the next phase in the negotiations.
The Government has also announced a £385 million Advanced Nuclear Fund. From this, £210 million has been committed in grant funding to Rolls-Royce SMR to develop their small modular reactor design and their continued advanced modular reactor development. The Government also announced a new £120 million Nuclear Enabling Fund to provide targeted support to address barriers to entry for future nuclear. Further details on the fund will be announced in due course.
Later this year, the Government will publish a nuclear roadmap setting out the Government’s strategy in more detail. The Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill is currently in Parliament. This will introduce a Regulated Asset Base model for nuclear projects and reduce the obstacles to financing new nuclear projects.
Asked by: Alex Norris (Labour (Co-op) - Nottingham North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to increase the number of apprenticeships in STEM professions.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We recognise the demand for science, technology, engineering, construction, digital and maths skills is increasing, which is why ensuring that anyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupation is a key priority for this government.
Apprenticeships are a great way for people to receive high quality training and begin, or progress in, a successful career in STEM. We have put employers at the heart of our apprenticeship system, empowering them to design the standards they need with the help of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. There are over 340 employer-designed apprenticeship standards in STEM, including Cyber Security Technician at level 3, and Civil Engineer (degree) at level 6.
It is encouraging to see that in the 2020/21 academic year, there were 78,100 apprenticeship starts in STEM, making up 24% of all apprenticeship starts that year.
We are continuing to promote apprenticeships in schools through the Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme and are working with our Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network of influential employers such as Siemens, Bombardier and Rolls-Royce to promote best practices in recruiting and retaining people from all backgrounds in STEM apprenticeships.
We continue to engage with other government departments, including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to ensure that apprenticeships continue to meet the skill needs of all industries.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, on what date each new Deferred Prosecution Agreement was signed by the Serious Fraud Office from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2021.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
From 1st of January 2016 to 31st of December 2021, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) entered into a total of 11 Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs). The table below provides details of the date each DPA was signed.
Case name | Date DPA was signed by the SFO |
Sarclad Ltd | 06/07/2016 |
Rolls Royce PLC | 17/01/2017 |
Tesco PLC | 10/04/2017 |
Serco | 04/07/2019 |
Güralp Systems Ltd | 22/10/2019 |
Airbus Group | 31/01/2020 |
G4S | 17/07/2020 |
Airline Services Limited | 30/10/2020 |
Amec Foster Wheeler plc | 01/07/2021 |
AB Ltd* | 19/07/2021 |
CD Ltd* | 19/07/2021 |
* reporting restrictions apply
Detailed information regarding the use of DPAs can be found on the SFO website:
Asked by: James Daly (Conservative - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to deliver new nuclear power.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government is committed to nuclear power as part of the country’s future diverse energy mix. Hinkley Point C is under construction and, when operational, will supply 3.2GW of secure, low carbon electricity for around 60 years, providing enough power for around 6 million homes. The Government is in constructive negotiations over Sizewell C in Suffolk. To further develop the project, the Government entered into a Combined Option agreement of £100 million with EDF on 27th January.
The Government has also announced a £385million Advanced Nuclear Fund. From this, £210million has been awarded to Rolls-Royce SMR to develop their small modular reactor design and their continued advanced modular reactor development. The Government also announced a new £120 million Nuclear Enabling Fund to provide targeted support to address barriers to entry for future nuclear. Further details on the fund will be announced in due course.
Later this year, the Government will publish a nuclear roadmap setting out the government’s strategy in more detail. The Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill is currently in Parliament. This will introduce a Regulated Asset Base model for nuclear projects and reduce the obstacles to financing new nuclear projects.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to make up for the reduction in energy derived from nuclear power in this decade as the current fleet of nuclear stations close.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government is committed to nuclear power in our future diverse energy mix:
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the full-life costs of the Rolls Royce Small Nuclear Reactor programme, including the disposal of nuclear waste during and after decommissioning.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has made a grant of £210 million to Rolls Royce SMR ltd to undertake phase two of the Low Cost Nuclear programme. This has been match funded by industry and investors, and will support the further development and assessment of the Rolls Royce SMR design up to 2025.
Whilst initial costing estimates have been made by Rolls Royce SMR Ltd, a key output of the programme is data that will enable more detailed whole life cost analysis, which could be used to inform any potential deployment decisions in the next parliament.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester, Gorton)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding is being provided to train and re-train the workforce in the North West needed for the Rolls Royce Small Nuclear Reactor programme.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has made a grant of £210 million to Rolls Royce SMR ltd to undertake phase two of the Low Cost Nuclear programme. This has been match funded by industry and investors, and will support the further development and assessment of the Rolls Royce SMR design up to 2025.
Whilst initial costing estimates have been made by Rolls Royce SMR Ltd, a key output of the programme is data that will enable more detailed whole life cost analysis, which could be used to inform any potential deployment decisions in the next parliament.