§ The Minister for Energy and Construction (Mr Brian Wilson)In the statement made by the Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, South (Nigel Griffiths) on 14 January 2003,Official Report, col. 547–50, he said that the Greenpeace protestors who entered the Sizewell nuclear power station had not penetrated any of the internal security barriers.
My hon. Friend's statement was made on the basis of the best information available at the time from the nuclear operating company, British Energy. However, it is now known that although initial reports did not indicate that any sensitive area had been breached at the time of the Greenpeace incursion, a subsequent inspection by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security has established that some of the intruders entered through a door, which amounted to a breach of the Sizewell inner security barrier. Further defences within the inner security barrier contained the intruders and I should stress that at no time were any sensitive areas of the plant breached. The incursion was accurately assessed at the time not to pose a security threat and the response was measured and appropriate.
57WSThe Director of Civil Nuclear Security has implemented a full investigation into the incursion, including this breach, with the full co-operation of the operating company. Immediate remedial action has been taken to prevent a recurrence of this breach of the inner security barrier and other lessons learned from the incident are being acted on appropriately.