§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what savings will be made to the Government by the announcement that the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee is to be abolished; and what the reasons are for its abolition; [110454]
(2) how the watchdog functions in relation to the management of nuclear waste will be maintained following the abolition of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee; [110372]
(3) what safeguards she is putting in place to ensure that the scrutiny undertaken by the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee is not compromised by its abolition. [110373]
§ Mr. MeacherSponsoring Ministers are currently considering the future of the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RWMAC) in light of the establishment of the new Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), that is being set up to carry forward the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely programme, and will announce their decision in due course. RWMAC is currently served by a secretariat of 3.5 staff and has an annual budget of the order £160,000.