§ Mr. Alan ReidTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consents would be required by a private company wishing to use a site in Scotland for(a) breaking up decommissioned nuclear submarines and (b) storing nuclear waste. [130993]
§ Mr. IngramAny private company involved in breaking up or storing the radioactive waste from decommissioned nuclear submarines on sites in Scotland would be subject to regulation by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, and would require consent from the Department of Transport if the radioactive waste were to be moved by land. The break-up site would also be subject to regulation by the Chairman of the Naval Nuclear Regulatory Panel who follows the principles laid down in the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment for Decommissioning) Regulations 1999. With regard to radioactive waste management, both regulation and policy are devolved and, as such, are matters for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Scottish Executive respectively. Planning consents are similarly devolved.