§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the advantages of extending the availability of public information and the provision of public document retrieval rooms in the nuclear power electricity generation industry. [13391]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]Considerable amounts of information about the nuclear power electricity generation industry are made available to the public, by the industry, by the Government in publications such as the 1995 White Paper "The Prospects for Nuclear Power in the UK" and by the industry's regulators. In addition, members of the public registering for the UK public offer will be sent information about British Energy, including an offer prospectus.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what consultations have taken place with the EC regarding the proposed privatisation of nuclear power generated electricity. [13390]
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§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]The Government advised the European Commission of their proposals for the nuclear power generation industry following the nuclear review and are keeping them informed of progress.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the advantages for the privatised part of the nuclear power generation industry to have a segregated fund to meet obligations on decommissioning and waste disposal; and what guidelines on the amounts of such funds he has issued. [13285]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]The nuclear review, published in May last year, concluded that segregated funds are the best way of ensuring public confidence that the parts of Nuclear Electric and Scottish Nuclear to be privatised will meet their long-term decommissioning liabilities.
The Government have therefore indicated that as part of the privatisation a segregated fund will be established to cover British Energy's long-term decommissioning costs. A funding company will be established in Scotland, independent of the nuclear stations' owners. The funding company will be owned by an independent trust, and will enter into a contract with the privatised companies under which it will receive funds to meet long-term decommissioning costs. These arrangements will come into effect on privatisation. The final details, including the size of the fund, are under discussion.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the privatisation of British Nuclear Fuels plc; and what negotiations have taken place in respect of a segregated fund for the liabilities of the Magnox reactors following privatisation. [13287]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]The White Paper "The Prospects for Nuclear Power in the UK", Cm 2860, made it clear that the Government would not want to rule out privatisation on BNFL as an aim in the longer term. It also concluded that, while a nuclear generator was publicly owned, there was no practical benefit from a segregated fund to meet nuclear liabilities. Magnox reactors will remain in the public sector after privatisation.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations his Department has received alleging that privatisation of nuclear power generation will impact adversely on safety standards. [13288]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]Many submissions to the nuclear review raised the issue of safety and there is a continuing interest in safety issues. The advice of the independent Health and Safety Commission during the review was that the current regulatory system ensured a high level of safety and that there was no need to change it in any fundamental way on account of privatisation. In reaching the decision to privatise parts of the industry the Government considered the possible implications for safety very carefully. Safety is, and will remain, of paramount importance for both the Government and the nuclear industry.
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§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment his Department has made of the advantage of increasing the numbers of staff employed in the nuclear installations inspectorate following nuclear privatisation; what representations he has received on the need to do this; if he will make a statement. [13289]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]Staffing levels within the nuclear installations inspectorate are a matter for the Health and Safety Executive which is the body responsible for making arrangements for the enforcement of safety legislation. HSE does not currently consider that extra resources will be necessary to ensure safety standards are maintained in a privatised industry. In their White Paper setting out the conclusions of the nuclear review the Government confirmed that they would ensure that the NII has all the resources necessary to do its job effectively.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what comparative research his Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated in respect of other countries relating to (i) the statutory powers and (ii) the staff required to ensure safety in nuclear power generation. [13290]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]No such research has been commissioned or evaluated. Nuclear safety is a national responsibility and legal and administrative arrangements for regulating and managing the nuclear power industry and for ensuring its safe operation have developed from such widely differing legal bases in the countries with nuclear power plant that such comparison is unlikely to be productive.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the work force of Nuclear Electric in each year since 1990; and what assessment his Department has made of efficiency savings that are possible without compromising safety. [13291]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]These matters are addressed in the annual report and accounts of Nuclear Electric's efficiency savings are a matter for the company. The Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate has confirmed that there is no inherent conflict between safety and efficiency and I am confident that Nuclear Electric's current high safety standards will be maintained.
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the licences that have been issued by the nuclear installations inspectorate since May 1975 to the(a) advanced gas-cooled reactor, (b) pressurised water reactor and (c) Magnox nuclear power generation sites; if he will list those licences that must still be issued; and if he will make a statement. [13361]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]The tables list all the current nuclear site licences for sites of AGR, PWR and Magnox nuclear power generation plants in the UK and give the date of issue of the most recent version of the site licence. As a result of restructuring of Nuclear Electric plc and Scottish Nuclear, new licences will be required for all those sites listed which are currently operated by them. Those sites listed which are operated by BNFL will not require new licences.
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Nuclear site licences for sites of UK AGR, PWR and Magnox nuclear power installations Licence number Site Reactor type on site Date of issue Nuclear Electric plc 3E Berkeley Magnox 1 March 1990 4A Bradwell Magnox 1 March 1990 5D Hinkley Point Magnox 30 July 1993 6B Trawsfynydd Magnox 1 March 1990 8D Dungeness Magnox and AGR 1 March 1990 11B Oldbury Magnox 15 October 1993 12C Sizewell Magnox and PWR 1 March 1990 20C Wylfa Magnox 1 March 1990 25B Hartlepool AGR 1 March 1990 26D Heysham AGR 1 March 1990 Scottish Nuclear SC1D Hunterston Magnox and AGR 1 March 1990 SC4B Torness AGR 1 March 1990 BNFL 31F Sellafield (Calder Hall) Magnox 30 March 1994 SC3C Chapelcross Magnox 28 September 1990
§ Mrs. BeckettTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the safety record of nuclear power generation among OECD countries with(a) publicly owned and (b) privately owned nuclear industries. [13362]
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 2 February 1996]My Department does not have access to figures on other OECD countries which would enable the nuclear safety record of publicly or privately owned nuclear power generating industries to be compared. However, the World Association of Nuclear Operators has stated that it is aware of no evidence to suggest that the type of ownership has any bearing on the level of safety achieved.