Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the reason for the further delay in Great British Nuclear making a decision on selecting small modular reactor designs, which was to have been by the spring to allow for development contracts to be agreed by the summer, and what is now the proposed schedule.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

There is no delay. At Spring Budget, we announced the launch of the next phase of the Great British Nuclear (GBN) Small Modular Reactor selection process, allowing vendors to bid for potentially multi-billion-pound technology development contracts. It is important that this process is robust. Companies will have until June to submit their tender responses, at which point GBN will assess these and negotiate final contracts, with the goal of announcing successful bidders later in 2024. The aim is for the competition to be the fastest of its kind in the world.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Army Cadet Forces are still permitted to fire live weapons.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Yes. Army Cadets are still permitted to fire live weapons as part of the Army Cadet syllabus.

The operating of live weapons by the Army Cadets is regulated through the Small Arms School Corps, with input from National Governing Bodies. Army Cadets do not take part in any Live Fire Tactical Training.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the delay in Great British Nuclear's selection of small modular reactor designs for public support and its awarding of contracts for development.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

At Spring Budget, we announced the launch of the next phase of the Great British Nuclear (GBN) Small Modular Reactor selection process, allowing vendors to bid for potentially multi-billion-pound technology development contracts. It is important that this process is robust. Companies will have until June to submit their tender responses, at which point GBN will assess these and negotiate final contracts, with the goal of announcing successful bidders later in 2024. The aim is for the competition to be the fastest of its kind in the world.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans for all Combined Cadet Force units to have representation at its summer camp in 2024.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) delivers a broad and exciting programme to pupils in schools throughout the year. It is recognised that the highlight for many pupils is attendance at a summer training or activity camp, with many of these delivered by the single Service Cadet Teams. There is a limit to the number of cadets that can participate in annual summer camps, and we do not aim to provide every cadet with a place on summer camp every year.

Furthermore, global events in recent years have reduced the availability of the Ministry of Defence’s training estate for all cadet activity, not just the CCF. The single Services work hard to ameliorate this by seeking alternative opportunities where possible, and many thousands of cadets continue to take part in centrally delivered camps and training over the summer, with the Army alone providing up to 12,000 cadet places in their camps annually.

Of note, in 2023, of the 12,000 spaces offered over a three-week period, only approximately 9,500 spaces were taken up. This was partly because schools have limited windows of availability and tend to vie for the same time, which cannot be matched with available real-estate or training team assets. We continue to refine the model by standardising the experience from across the different regions and adopting best practice. For instance, over the next few years we will look to combine Cadet Training Teams and other resources to create a ‘super camp’ concept to deliver activities more efficiently and create more spaces for cadets to participate.

Additionally, CCF Contingents can plan and deliver their own annual camp if they wish to and may be funded to do so. Contingents may receive support via subject matter expert guidance in planning and assuring the activities and may also be supported financially in areas such as transport booking, and in equipment and resources required to deliver the training package. Many school-based Contingents choose to deliver this option annually and provide exciting and challenging activities for their cadets.

Other than centralised camps, there are many other summer camp opportunities for cadets in the CCF including adventurous training through the Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training. Music and Cyber camps are also available for CCF cadets to attend if that is where their interest lies.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government why there were not enough places for all Combined Cadet Force units to attend its summer camp in 2023.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) delivers a broad and exciting programme to pupils in schools throughout the year. It is recognised that the highlight for many pupils is attendance at a summer training or activity camp, with many of these delivered by the single Service Cadet Teams. There is a limit to the number of cadets that can participate in annual summer camps, and we do not aim to provide every cadet with a place on summer camp every year.

Furthermore, global events in recent years have reduced the availability of the Ministry of Defence’s training estate for all cadet activity, not just the CCF. The single Services work hard to ameliorate this by seeking alternative opportunities where possible, and many thousands of cadets continue to take part in centrally delivered camps and training over the summer, with the Army alone providing up to 12,000 cadet places in their camps annually.

Of note, in 2023, of the 12,000 spaces offered over a three-week period, only approximately 9,500 spaces were taken up. This was partly because schools have limited windows of availability and tend to vie for the same time, which cannot be matched with available real-estate or training team assets. We continue to refine the model by standardising the experience from across the different regions and adopting best practice. For instance, over the next few years we will look to combine Cadet Training Teams and other resources to create a ‘super camp’ concept to deliver activities more efficiently and create more spaces for cadets to participate.

Additionally, CCF Contingents can plan and deliver their own annual camp if they wish to and may be funded to do so. Contingents may receive support via subject matter expert guidance in planning and assuring the activities and may also be supported financially in areas such as transport booking, and in equipment and resources required to deliver the training package. Many school-based Contingents choose to deliver this option annually and provide exciting and challenging activities for their cadets.

Other than centralised camps, there are many other summer camp opportunities for cadets in the CCF including adventurous training through the Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training. Music and Cyber camps are also available for CCF cadets to attend if that is where their interest lies.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether funding for the Army Cadet Forces has been reduced; and if so, why.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

To enable the Army to continue to deliver within its financial control total, there has been a small reduction in the funding allocated to the Army Cadet Force.

I can assure the Noble Lord that the Army continues to deliver a challenging and rewarding Cadet experience which benefits our young people, the Army and the wider Nation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that all those considering leaving work permanently are subject to ‘work search’ requirements before they receive benefits.

Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Welfare Reform Act 2012 and the Universal Credit regulations 2013/2015 determine the conditionality expectations that are relevant to individuals who are claiming Universal Credit.

For those who are expected to look for or prepare for work this will include up to 35 hours a week of work-related and work preparation activities, with an expectation that they take all reasonable actions to find work and move towards financial independence as quickly as possible. If they fail to comply and meet their agreed commitments without good reason a sanction may be applied.

If a claimant is found to have voluntarily left their employment without good reason, they will be sanctioned for a fixed period of at least 91 days.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a legislative control framework before implementing the Future of Flight Action Plan.

Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

We already have a regulatory framework for drones and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing). Key legislation includes Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 on common rules in the field of civil aviation, Regulation (EU) 2019/945 on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), Regulation (EU) 2019/947 on the rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft, the Air Navigation Order 2016 and the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Act 2021.

The Action Plan outlines activities to identify and develop any further regulation as needed.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cause of the fire at Terminal 2 of Luton Airport on 10 October 2023; and whether the cause has been established to be a diesel or an electric car.

Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

A joint investigation by Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has concluded, indicating that the fire started accidentally, with the most likely cause being an electrical fault or component failure that originated in the engine bay of a diesel vehicle while it was in motion.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they propose to take to reduce the approximately 71 per cent of candidates who drop out of the application process for the Armed Forces, and whether the primary cause of such drop outs is the slow process of recruitment.

Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Recruitment and retention are absolute priorities and we have introduced a range of measures to respond to the current recruitment challenge, which is affecting many other militaries across the world. While it does take time to recruit the right people to our Armed Forces, we have sped up Army recruitment by 9% in the last year, and the majority of regular soldiers join in less than 140 days. There are a multitude of factors which impact on a candidate’s engagement with Armed Forces recruiting systems, and we are actively seeking to address these within our measures.