§ Mr. Ogdenasked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in its Sixth Report, that the responsibility for nuclear waste management strategy should 632W lie with the Secretary of State for the Environment.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Government have accepted the Royal Commission's recommendation that there is a need for an overall long term strategy for the management of civil nuclear wastes. I have decided that the Secretary of State for the Environment, together with the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales, should have the responsibility for policy on the management of civil nuclear wastes, and for ensuring that there is adequate research and development on methods of disposal. They will also be responsible for co-ordinating research on, and monitoring of, radioactivity in the environment. These new responsibilities will be exercised in close consultation with the Secretary of State for Energy and the other Ministers who have functions in this field. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is making a statement today on the Government's response to the other conclusions and recommendations in the Royal Commission's Sixth Report.