Extract from Business
and Trade questions
Sir (Maldon) (Con): On
Tuesday, in my capacity as trade envoy, I attended the Korean
embassy for the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the
joint development of a small modular nuclear reactor—just one
area in which the business between our two countries is growing
ever stronger. Will my right hon. Friend press ahead with the
enhanced free trade agreement, which will offer huge
opportunities to build on the existing £17 billion trade
relationship?
The Minister for Trade Policy ():My right hon. Friend is
absolutely right. In the UK, of course, we have our own,
superb Rolls-Royce model
of small modular reactor as well. He is right about the
importance of our growing trading relationship with Korea. As a
former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, he will
also know that 71% of our services trade with Korea last year was
delivered digitally. We need to upgrade the deal to make sure
that it reflects modern, digital trade as well. Both countries
are making good progress in the negotiations.
Extract from Budget
debate
(Folkestone and Hythe)
(Con):...I want to mention nuclear technology and small modular
reactors. I have a constituency interest in this: Dungeness
nuclear power station is in my constituency, and it would be an
ideal site for small modular reactors. The Government have
launched a competition to design them, and the Chancellor is
encouraging people get their tenders in. I hope that we will
consider that the benefit is not just us producing the clean
energy that we need for the future, but us backing British
industry. A British-designed and built SMR manufacturing process
in this country will meet our needs, but this could also be a
fantastic export industry for Britain.
I urge the Government and the Chancellor to carry on backing this
new nuclear technology, to support the design competition, and to
back one of the bidders. Ideally, a British company such
as Rolls-Royce
would be great, but there are other excellent bidders. The
Government should also support the roll-out of this technology.
Through their civil nuclear road map, they have established how
they intend to do that, and they acknowledge that they need more
nuclear sites. As a result of the road map and the consultation
on it, I hope that other sites, such as Dungeness in my
constituency, will be identified where this technology can be
deployed...
...It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Folkestone and
Hythe (). I absolutely concur with
his points about the creative sector; it is one of the absolute
gems of the UK, and we need the concerted efforts of those not
just in the Government but across the House, and the support of
our universities and colleges, to ensure we have the stream of
investment to deliver talent. I echo his points on nuclear
development, and particularly on the work of Rolls-Royce..
