To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the determining factors that contribute to defining site security at any licensed nuclear facility. [HL3772]

The determining factors that contribute to defining security at a licensed civil nuclear site are: the threat, the consequences of the loss or dispersal of nuclear material, and the UK's international obligations.

Security in the civil nuclear industry is subject to regulation which reflects the international obligations and best practice. The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) regulates the civil nuclear industry by means of the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR). The NISR requires nuclear licensed sites to have approved site security plans (SSPs). SSPs are protectively marked and they detail the standards, procedures and specific arrangements that must be kept in place to ensure the security of the nuclear premises, nuclear material in whatever category, form or quantity and sensitive nuclear information against the malicious capabilities posed by the Nuclear Industries Malicious Capabilities Planning Assumptions. This document allows a judgment to be made with regard to the malicious capabilities that could be deployed against a licensed site or transporters, and against which security measures should provide protection. It draws on intelligence provided by the national intelligence agencies particularly the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre of which OCNS is a member.

Operators submit their SSPs to OCNS for approval before they are adopted and thereafter, they become the basis against which they are judged to be compliant with the regulations. Once approved SSPs are regarded as live documents and subject to constant review, scrutiny and amendment as necessary by the operator concerned and by OCNS through regulatory activity.

Security measures in the civil nuclear industry are applied in a graduated manner in accordance with the severity of the threat and the level of consequence of a successful attack in a manner that provides defence in depth. They include physical, electronic, information and personnel security measures.