asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their assessment of the importance of the secure and safe storage of nuclear waste in any future development of nuclear power; and what criteria they will use to determine such security and safety. [HL4064]

Radioactive waste from any new nuclear power stations would likely require on-site interim storage in facilities capable of holding the waste in a safe and secure condition for long periods prior to final disposal within a geological disposal facility. Throughout any interim storage, radioactive waste would be managed in accordance with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) national strategy for interim storage, which is currently under review, with regulatory scrutiny from the nuclear safety, security and environmental regulators (the Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency). The future role of nuclear power in the UK is contingent on the outcome of the current consultation, The Future of Nuclear Power.