§ Mr. McWilliamasked the Paymaster General if he will specify in the light of the shortfall of nuclear inspectors in post against the number of authorised posts, what work is currently being delayed or not done; on the basis of what criteria; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TrippierRecent events have inevitably created additional pressures on the inspectorate's already fully stretched resources. However, the inspectorate has so far been able to meet all its essential commitments without compromising its very high standards of safety.
In allocating resources, the criterion for determining priorities is the immediate protection of the public and the work force. The highest priority is therefore allocated to matters affecting operating reactors and other installations. The inspectorate has some flexibility in deciding on the extent and depth of its assessment work for new installations, but there will be no relaxation of the inspectorate's requirements; hence there may be some delays to new projects until additional resources are available to balance the increasing demands on the inspectorate.
The inspectorate's participation in international discussions is one area which has recently been given lower priority, although, inevitably, essential work will flow from the international reactions to Chernobyl.
§ Mr. McWilliamasked the Paymaster General if he will list the number of inspectors actually in post with the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, together with the number of authorised posts over each of the last five years
§ Mr. TrippierThe numbers are as follows:
Nuclear installations inspectors in Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate Number in post Manpower target agreed by Health and Safety Executive 1 July 1982 98 102 1 July 1983 97 102 1 July 1984 99 102 1 July 1985 101 102 1 July 1986 98 105 In approving the manpower targets shown in the table the Health and Safety Executive made it clear that further resources would be made available if it proved possible to recruit beyond that figure.
A recruitment competition is about to start from which it is hoped to recruit up to a maximum of 20 nuclear installations inspectors.