§ Ms WalleyTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to review the(a) mechanism and (b) responsibility for informing the public of a nuclear emergency; and if she will make a statement. [18369]
§ Mr. BattleCurrently, the legislative requirements for informing the public of a nuclear emergency are given in the "Public Information for Radiation Emergencies Regulations 1992" (PIRER). Guidance has been published by the Health and Safety Executive in support of the Regulations and further relevant guidance has been issued to the emergency response bodies concerned by the Nuclear Emergency Planning Liaison Group (NEPLG).
Consultative proposals are at present being developed on the new "Radioactive Emergency Preparedness and Public Information Regulations" (REPPIR) which will subsume PIRER and implement the Emergency Preparedness requirements of the European Council Directive 96/29 EURATOM laying down Basic Safety Standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation. These proposals will be published in a consultative document in Spring 1998.
In parallel with these activities, a National Steering Committee on Warning and Informing the Public is meeting to develop a view on the broad issue of informing the public in a variety of emergency situations.