§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether any income accrued by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority from(a) the commercial reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and (b) Magnox power generation will be returned to the (i) decommissioning and (ii) clean-up of nuclear sites. [160009]
§ Mr. TimmsYes. All such income will be received by Government and credited to the Nuclear Decommissioning Funding Account that will record the sums available to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). Commercial income credited to the Account will be separately identified.
§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on plans to establish a Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. [160286]
§ Mr. TimmsProposals to establish the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority were set out in the 2002 White Paper, 'Managing the Nuclear Legacy:.A strategy for action', and are provided for in the Energy Bill, due to begin Report stage in the other place on 18 March.
The Bill will be introduced in this House as soon as the legislative timetable permits. We hope the Bill will receive Royal Assent by July, and our goal remains to have an operational NDA in place by April next year.
§ Mr. TynanTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had regarding the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. [160288]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Government continue to engage in their proposals to establish the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) with a broad range of stakeholders, including industry, the regulators, local and regional government organisations, trades unions. Non-Governmental Organisations, suppliers and members of the public. Legislation to establish the NDA is under discussion in the other place.
§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will accept new contracts for the commercial reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel once it assumes control of Thorp; [159586]
(2) what long-term future she envisages for the commercial reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in theUK. [159587]
§ Mr. TimmsI refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady) on 11 September 2003,Official Report, column 385W.