Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
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 commencement of production of small modular reactors in the UK as soon as possible.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government has awarded up to £210m to support development of the Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design. The Rolls-Royce SMR entered the Generic Design Assessment process in April becoming the first SMR to begin UK nuclear regulation.
The Government has also announced the Future Nuclear Enabling Fund (FNEF) of up to £120m to support future nuclear projects, including SMRs, addressing barriers to entry.
The British Energy Security Strategy sets out the Government’s intention to take two Final Investment Decisions on new nuclear projects in the next parliament and to initiate a selection process for projects in 2023, including SMRs.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage business investment to (a) Bournemouth East constituency and (b) the South West.
Answered by Jane Hunt
This Department is committed to supporting business investment across Bournemouth East and the South West. The Government provided over £3bn in business covid grants to the South West alone and continues to support Bournemouth-based businesses through the investment of £231,000 in the Dorset Gateway which provides fully funded business support including helping businesses look at inward investment opportunities. The Government is also investing £375,000 in Dorset’s Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in 2022/23 to support and incentivise local businesses in Bournemouth and across Dorset.
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
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 support local businesses in (a) Bournemouth and (b) England.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Government is investing £375,000 in Dorset’s Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to support local businesses in Bournemouth and across Dorset. We have also invested £231,000 in the Dorset Gateway to provide fully funded business support for a range of businesses including SMEs and start-ups. During Covid, we provided nearly £27 billion to local authorities across England through a package of business support including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, business rates relief, grants and loans. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council received £240m of business grant support and reported making over 34,000 payments worth £167m to their businesses.