Speaking at the Nuclear Industry Association’s (NIA) Decom2018 event, in London, Kate said the aspiration would be achieved by colleagues across the NDA group working together towards a common goal.

Kate takes responsibility for the organisation’s procurement, contract management and commercial activities associated with cleaning up the UK’s civil nuclear legacy.

It is the first major event she has spoken at in her new role, and she took the opportunity to reveal to industry representatives how the NDA is transforming its procurement and contract management capabilities.

Kate, who joined the NDA in November 2017, said:

We are in the process of strengthening our approach to contracting: becoming better, more efficient, clearer, providing best value for taxpayers.

This is about getting better at awarding the contracts but also, equally importantly, making sure the work performed is in line with those contracts and the costs agreed in them. Across government, and within our own group of businesses, this is an emerging theme.

We are also identifying new opportunities to minimise the cost of decommissioning to the taxpayer. One way in which we’re doing this is generating revenue through our intellectual property in international markets.

To date, there have been a number of revenue-generating agreements ranging in value, from £10,000s to millions.

We are in the middle of exciting times across the estate.

The two-day event, which welcomed delegates from around the world, covered topics on nuclear decommissioning, hazard reduction and waste management. It was held at London’s County Hall. Exhibitions from the sector’s top organisations gave visitors the chance to network and learn more about opportunities in the nuclear decommissioning sector.

Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the NIA, said:

It was a pleasure to have Kate speak at our Decom2018 conference this week, particularly as this was the first major engagement she has taken part in since she joined the NDA in November 2017.

The NIA’s 2017 Activity Report, published in December found that the nuclear industry provides over 65,000 jobs and £6.4 billion GVA contribution every year, with £1.6 billion of this contribution coming from the North West of England, home to the most complex decommissioning site in the world.

Decom2018 is an important opportunity to showcase such the end of life benefits of nuclear power to the UK, and to set out the agenda for the future.

EU citizens living in the UK and their family members will need to apply under the settlement scheme to obtain their new UK immigration status.

Caroline Nokes confirmed that those applying under the scheme will only need to complete 3 key steps. They will need to prove their identity, show that that they live in the UK, and declare that they have no serious criminal convictions.

The Minister also announced the planned fee for people applying under the scheme. It is proposed that an application will cost £65 and £32.50 for a child under 16. For those who already have valid permanent residence or indefinite leave to remain documentation, they will be able to exchange it for settled status for free.

The Home Office will check the employment and benefit records held by government which will mean that, for many, their proof of residence will be automatic.

Those who have not yet lived in the UK for five years will be granted pre-settled status and be able to apply for settled status once they reach the five-year point. From April 2019, this second application will be free of charge.

The draft Immigration Rules which have been published today providing details of the scheme, deliver on the citizens’ rights agreement with the EU reached in March this year, which also guarantees the rights of UK nationals living in the EU.

Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes said:

EU citizens make a huge contribution to our economy and to our society. They are our friends, family and colleagues and we want them to stay.

This is an important step which will make it easy for EU citizens to get the status they need to continue working and living here.

We are demonstrating real progress and I look forward to hearing more detail on how the EU will make reciprocal arrangements for UK nationals living in the EU.

The new online application system will be accessible through phones, tablets, laptops and computers. The Government will provide support for the vulnerable and those without access to a computer, and continues to work with EU citizens’ representatives and embassies to ensure the system works for everyone.

The settlement scheme will open in a phased way from later this year and will be fully open by 30 March 2019.

The deadline for applications will be 30 June 2021.

The Home Office will continue to engage with stakeholders, including employers, local authority representatives and community groups, about the detailed design of the scheme before the Rules are laid before Parliament.

You can read the EU Settlement Scheme statement of intent on how EU citizens and their families can obtain settled status in the UK.

This is a remarkable day, and – as I am sure everybody here will agree – from the spectacular sights around us, this is an extraordinary gift. On behalf of the nation, it is a great honour to accept the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre, and I want to say a huge thank you.

You have spoken movingly about your father’s vision – and none of this would have been possible if it was not for his energy, his commitment and his determination. So I would like to thank you and your family for carrying on his initiative.

I would also like to add my thanks to the many people involved in making this happen – over a thousand people including designers, planners, architects and others – and for the very evident support of the people of the Midlands locally, at county level and in the health arena, the Nottingham University Hospital Trust.

There can be no greater gift – than giving people the chance to live their lives to the fullest – and for our most seriously injured servicemen and women, that could not be truer.

Time and again, we have our expectations overturned when they show us just what is possible, defying the odds, and inspiring us with their spirit of determination and their unwillingness to take no for an answer.

I saw that for myself most recently when I was proud to unveil the UK’s team for the Invictus Games – and I am sure all of us here would want to wish them good luck in Sydney this October.

But it is also evident in the daily triumphs as the wounded battle to overcome mental and physical hurdles – and also in the remarkable return to work rates in the military.

Every day, of every year, our Armed Forces stand ready to face grave dangers to keep us safe.

From the British sailors I met on HMS Queen Elizabeth last summer.

To the soldiers I spoke to in Baghdad before Christmas, training and supporting the Iraqi Security Forces as they fight Daesh.

To the RAF pilots and crews I met at RAF Akrotiri last year including those who carried out the long range precision strikes against chemical weapons facilities in Syria which I ordered in April.

The bravery and devotion to duty of our Armed Forces is a constant source of pride and inspiration.

And just as they face grave dangers on our behalf, so too we must do everything we possibly can when they are injured in combat, or during the course of training.

For the past 70 years, Headley Court has paved the way in first rate rehabilitative care – from the first RAF pilots it treated to the veterans of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq – and it also treated those in the UK’s Invictus Team.

But today we face new threats and new dangers – and have a new generation of servicemen and women who are surviving with complex injuries.

So I am delighted that the Stanford Hall estate will provide a 21st century vision of Headley Court, and the next generation of rehabilitative care.

And I am looking forward to seeing for myself its world class facilities – particularly in the Neurological Wing.

But, of course, the vision that gave rise to the Stanford Hall Estate – was not just to do something for our servicemen and women. It was also to ensure that civilians who have experienced major trauma can also benefit from the first rate facilities here.

For decades, the military has pioneered innovations in health care: from facial reconstruction in the Second World War, to trauma treatment in more recent conflicts.

So it is absolutely right that the NHS and the Armed Forces continue working together – and that the NHS can learn from the Stanford Hall Estate’s ground-breaking work in rehabilitation, and in training the next generation of NHS medics.

That’s why the local NHS and Midlands Engine are looking at further opportunities for partnership – and the NHS is considering whether facilities at the Stanford Hall Estate could be developed to support civilian NHS services and what additional opportunities there may be in training, research and education.

All of this of course will support the vision of the NHS of the future, a vision that will see the NHS deliver a long term plan to secure its future – ensuring that everyone will receive the right care, in the right setting, at the right time – just as the Stanford Hall Estate will provide the specialised care needed for the patients who come here.

I want to wish those who will work here – and those who will find themselves treated here – the very best – may you go on to have full and rewarding lives.