§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Prime Minister whether she will make funds available to bodies critical of nuclear power or its expansion so that they can present their cases at public inquiries through expert evidence in the same way as the Atomic Energy Authority or other public pro-nuclear bodies.
§ The Prime MinisterWe have at present no plans to do so.
§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Prime Minister whether, as part of the cutbacks in expenditure, she will take steps to reduce the public relations budgets of the Department of Energy and other public bodies sponsoring the expansion of nuclear power.
§ The Prime MinisterThe Department of Energy's information division, which is responsible for explaining the Government's energy policies, including matters relating to nuclear power, will be affected by that Department's contribution to public expenditure savings. However, I 9W regard it as important that nuclear development in the United Kingdom should take place against the background of full public debate of the issues involved. The Department of Energy's policy is to aid that debate by publishing as much nuclear information as reasonably possible.
The public information budgets of public bodies are a matter for those bodies.