§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's role is in the event of a nuclear accident. [90230]
§ Mr. WilsonDTI would be the lead Government Department in the event of an emergency at a civil nuclear site in England or Wales and would be responsible for co-ordinating the response to the emergency at the national level. In Scotland, this responsibility would fall to the Scottish Executive.
As lead Department, DTI would set up its Nuclear Emergency Briefing Room in London to liaise closely with all relevant local and national agencies and departments, and co-ordinate necessary action at national level; be the main source of information from central Government to the public and media; alert the UK's international partners; brief Ministers on the emergency; and appoint a Government Technical Adviser (GTA) from HM Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to advise the police and emergency services on measures to protect the public. DTI would work closely with the Scottish Executive which has parallel arrangements for an emergency in Scotland. DTI 796W Ministers would report to the Houses of Parliament in respect of an emergency at any civil nuclear site in the UK.
DTI participates in the regular programme of off-site nuclear exercises held for all nuclear sites to help maintain constant readiness and, through the lessons of those exercises, seek improvements.