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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to replicate the funding allocated to North Wales for the thermal hydraulics research facility in Bangor with spending on the nuclear industry in Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.

The proposed Thermal Hydraulics facility in Bangor is part of the BEIS led Nuclear Innovation Programme and is in its very early stages of development. The £180m Nuclear Innovation Programme is part of the 2016-21, £505m BEIS Energy Innovation Programme. The Programme covers the whole of the UK Nuclear Research and Development community in order to develop and promote innovation and future growth in the nuclear sector in the UK in conjunction with the Nuclear Sector Deal.

The National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) is successfully delivering and playing a leadership role on three streams of the Nuclear Innovation Programme; Advanced Fuels, Recycle and Waste Management and Strategic Toolkit. All areas utilise key nuclear skills and research infrastructure in the North West including Cumbria.

The NNL also invests in science and engineering programmes and skills using earnings to reinvest which are implemented within North West universities, supply chain and NNL facilities of which a large component is in Cumbria.

The Government welcomes the initiative of nuclear businesses, supply chain clusters, universities and innovators across Cumbria, the wider North West, and North Wales to work together through the North West Nuclear Arc.

We believe our policies through the Nuclear Sector Deal and Nuclear Innovation Programme will support the North West Nuclear Arc to capitalise on the regions historic strengths in the nuclear sector.

It was this Government that agreed a landmark Nuclear Sector Deal worth over £200m, as well as giving the go-ahead to Hinkley Point C, the first new nuclear power station in a generation.