HC Deb 24 June 2003 vol 407 cc34-5WS
The Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services (Mr. Stephen Timms)

The Government announced in the Queen's Speech that draft legislation for implementing the proposals in the White Paper "Managing the Nuclear Legacy—A Strategy for Action" (Cm 5552) would be published for comment in the course of this Session.

I am pleased to announce that the draft Bill is being published today together with explanatory notes outlining its effect and the objectives it is intended to achieve. Copies are available from the Vote and Printed Paper Offices.

The Government are publishing the Bill in draft in line with its commitment to openness and transparency and active engagement of stakeholders in implementation of its proposed new arrangements for managing the decommissioning and clean up of public sector civil nuclear liabilities. The deadline for comments is 16 September.

For the same reason, the DTI is also publishing other documents—in particular a draft management statement outlining the intended relationship between Government and the proposed Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and a draft Memorandum of Understanding between the NDA and the nuclear regulators—so as to give stakeholders a better understanding of the overall framework within which the NDA will operate. Copies of these documents are also available from the Vote Office and Printed Paper Offices.

The draft Bill as published does not include two detailed Schedules dealing with successor companies and taxation. These will be added to the Bill prior to its introduction into Parliament. In each case, however, these notes explain the purpose of the Schedule and what they are expected to cover. Amendments will also be made to the draft Bill prior to introduction to reflect the fact that the NDA will have functions which relate to both reserved and devolved matters and so will be similar to cross border authorities designated under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998.

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