§ Mr. Andrew MitchellTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he envisages any changes in responsibility for the nuclear safety research programmes at present funded by his Department.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerFollowing discussions with interested parties, it has been decided that the Health and Safety Commission will take over the Department of Energy's responsibility for contracting research programmes related to the safety of established thermal nuclear power systems. The transfer covers the existing programmes funded by my Department and carried out by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority on pressurised water reactor safety and advanced gas-cooled reactor safety, together with relevant parts of the general 317W nuclear safety programme. The transfer to the Health and Safety Commission will take place on 1 April 1990 and the Health and Safety Commission's responsibilities will be managed on its behalf by the Health and Safety Executive. The Health and Safety Executive has considerable technical expertise and experience in managing research programmes.
Following a review to be carried out by the Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's nuclear safety research programmes to decide on the areas of work appropriate for them to sponsor, the Health and Safety Executive will, on the Health and Safety Commission's behalf, recover, from nuclear site licensees and licence applicants, the costs of research for which it becomes responsible under the new arrangements. Legislation to enable this will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time permits.
My Department will continue to fund directly a programme of generic nuclear safety research to enable the authority to carry out wider ranging work which is not related to nuclear systems currently licensed or contemplated for licensing in the United Kingdom and is therefore not appropriate for the Health and Safety Commission to sponsor under these arrangements.