To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many times the Justification Co-ordination Committee for the Proposals for New Nuclear Reactors has met; which bodies are represented on the Committee; and if he will publish the Committee's agendas and minutes on his Department's website. (263557)

The Justification Co-ordination Committee has met three times, on 17 June and 27 November 2008 and 10 March 2009. The bodies represented are my Department, the statutory consultees (Health and Safety Executive, Food Standards Agency, Health Protection Agency, Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Department for the Environment (Northern Ireland)), the Devolved Administrations, the Department for Transport and the Department of Health.

Material relating to the new nuclear Justification process, including meeting minutes, are available on my Department's website at

http://www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/nuclear/whitepaper/actions/justification/page45386.html.

The November 2008 meeting took the form of a discussion of the Department's consultation document on the Nuclear Industry Association's application to justify new nuclear power stations, which was published on 17 December. No official record of the meeting was kept, although after the meeting we sent JCC members an e-mail confirming the meeting's conclusion that they should send us any final comments on the document. I have previously placed on the website, and in the House Library, a copy of the consultation document. This explains the part played by the JCC in helping my Department consider the NIA's application and in identifying where further information was needed. The questions which we asked as a result of this process, and the NIA's revised application, were also published as part of the consultation document.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for future levels of nuclear energy generation in the UK. (265440)

In January 2008 the Government published the nuclear White Paper which explains that new nuclear should have a role in the UK’s future energy mix.

The Government are now taking active steps to facilitate nuclear new build as set out in the nuclear White Paper. No upper limit on the number of nuclear power stations that might come forward has been set. In the White Paper, the Government also explained how it was feasible that the first new nuclear power station might start generation around 2018.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is for the statement in the Prime Minister's speech on nuclear energy on 17 March 2009 that the complete lifecycle emissions from nuclear power are only between two and six per cent. of those of gas for every unit of electricity generated. (265592)

The evidential basis for that figure is set out in the Sustainable Development Commission paper reference ‘The Role of Nuclear Power in a Low Carbon Economy, Paper 2: Reducing CO₂ Emissions - Nuclear and the Alternatives, March 2006', taken from the nuclear consultation document ‘The role of nuclear power in a low carbon UK economy, May 2007' and as quoted in that document and illustrated in figure 2.1 on page 49.