§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding has been(a) provided and (b) guaranteed to enable the acceleration of previous programmes within the Sellafield Site Remediation Strategy as referred to in the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's quarterly report for Q1 2004. [186116]
§ Mr. TimmsThe Energy Act 2004 provides for the establishment of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The NDA will be established in October and become operational in April 2005. The Treasury White Paper dated 12 July on the outcome of the 2004 spending review provided in respect of my Department that the NDA will have an annual budget 763W of approximately £2 billion, comprised of central government grant and income from its commercial activities.
The NDA will determine the allocation of funding to its 20 sites—including Sellafield?following discussions with key stakeholders such as the regulators. The NDA will consult on its proposed first annual work plan in the autumn. Acceleration of work will be possible under the proposed contract for Sellafield with the British Nuclear Group, depending on the company's performance.