Nuclear Power Stations: Decommissioning

Annette Brooke
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the implications of the Comprehensive Spending Review are for funding of (a) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and (b) the decommissioning of nuclear power stations.

Malcolm Wicks
[holding answer 12 November 2007]: The Comprehensive Spending Review provides the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority with funding to deliver a full programme of nuclear decommissioning and clean up in line with its strategy and business plans.

Mr. Drew
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the decommissioning costs for Magnox power stations if decommissioning starts (a) now, (b) in 2008 and (c) in 2009.

Malcolm Wicks
None. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is responsible for estimating the costs of decommissioning at its sites and for delivering safe, effective and efficient clean up and decommissioning. Estimates of the cost of decommissioning its sites, including the NDA’s Magnox nuclear power stations are derived from Life Time Plans (cradle to grave estimates of the cost, scope, and schedule of nuclear decommissioning and clean up programmes in respect of the site in question). Details are available on the NDA website at www.nda.gov.uk

Annette Brooke
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which decommissioning contracts and works at Winfrith have been the subject of a gateway review by the Office of Government Commerce; and which proposals in the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency's three-year business plan will be the subject of future Gateway reviews.

Malcolm Wicks
[holding answer 12 November 2007]: There have been two Gateway O reviews by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) carried out at the Winfrith site. Gateway O reviews are strategic assessments of a programme and it is recommended that they are repeated every two years. The Winfrith site restoration programme and the Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor decommissioning have been subject to reviews.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's three-year business plan has identified a requirement for OGC Gateway reviews of the competitions for parent body organisation contracts for the management of the low level waste repository and the Sellafield site.