To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will provide funding for travel and accommodation for stakeholders to attend the meeting on civil plutonium policy being held at Manchester airport on 21 May 2009. (276937)

No.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change who was invited to his Department's meeting on plutonium management at the Manchester Airport Hotel on 21 May 2009; who (a) accepted and (b) declined those invitations; what reasons were given by those who declined; how much was spent on that meeting; whether funding was made available to those attending the meeting for expenses incurred in attending; how many officials from his Department attended; how much was spent on their travel and accommodation; who facilitated the meeting; and whether external consultants were used to organise and conduct the meeting. (277332)

Those invited to the meeting on 21 May were:

1. Allerdale borough council

2. Copeland borough council

3. Cumbria county council

4. Highland council

5. Shetland Highland council

6. SERA

7. Greenpeace

8. Core

9. Nuclear institute

10. Nuclear Free Local Authorities Steering Committee

11. Isle of Man Government

12. Irish Government

13. Nuclear Industry Association

14. Scottish Government

15. Welsh Assembly

16. NuLeAF

17. Corwm

18. Friends of the Earth

19. West Cumbria Site Stakeholder Group

20. Dounreay Site Stakeholder Group

21. Dr. Rachel Western

22. Dr. David Lowry.

Of those who were invited, Greenpeace, Nuclear institute, Nuclear Free Local Authorities Steering Committee, Irish Government, Isle of Man Government, Nuclear Industry Association, Copeland borough council, Cumbria county council, Shetland Highland council, Scottish Government, NuLeAF, Corwm, West Cumbria Site Stakeholder Group, Dounreay Site Stakeholder Group and Dr. Rachel Western accepted. Only the Welsh Assembly formally declined as they were unavailable.

The total cost of the meeting, including the meeting room hire and the facilitators, was about £6,200.

Expenses were not paid to those attending.

Two officials attended the meeting. Their travel and accommodation costs were about £700.

The meeting was facilitated by the Environment Council who helped organise and conduct the meeting.