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Nuclear Decommissioning

Volume 403: debated on Monday 14 April 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to engage stakeholders in plans to create the new Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. [107577]

My officials are actively engaging with interested stakeholders, in particular, through a rolling series of meetings at regional level. The first round of these meetings is focusing on explaining progress to date and identifying the issues which stakeholders wish to discuss. Subject to their views, the second round in the summer is expected to focus on how the NDA might work with stakeholders with a view to developing a draft stakeholder engagement framework which the NDA can build on once it is in place. This programme of regional events supplements existing arrangements for bilateral dialogue with stakeholders through the BNFL Stakeholder Dialogue, and regular meetings with the nuclear regulators, trade unions, BNFL and UKAEA staff, local authorities, environmental groups and the local liaison committees for individual sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value is of the decommissioning and liabilities management fund held by British Energy; and what discussions she has had with British Energy on the release of the decommissioning and liabilities management funds British Energy invested in Sizewell B construction. [107669]

The value of the Nuclear Decommissioning Fund (NDF) is reported annually in British Energy's report and accounts. I understand from the company that none of the NDF has been spent on the construction of Sizewell B.

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2003, Official Report, column 628W, on radioactive waste, if she will list the places identified as possible disposal sites for intermediate level nuclear waste by Nirex in addition to Sellafield and Dounreay. [107699]

The Department does not hold, and has never held, Nirex's list of these locations.

The reason given to the House on 10 June 1997 by the then Minister for Science, Industry and Energy, namely that revealing the location of potential sites could unnecessarily cause anxiety to people living nearby, in any case means that it would not be appropriate to disclose the list's contents.