This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Environment conference in Glasgow
05/09/2005
Environment Minister Ross Finnie today urged academic institutions to establish Scotland as an international front runner in the emerging field of environmental clean-up.
Speaking at the tenth International Conference on Environmental Remediation and Radioactive Waste Management the Minister said that more must be done to market Scotland's expertise in nuclear decommissioning around the world.
Speaking at the SECC in Glasgow, Mr Finnie said:
"Our position as leaders in the development of civil nuclear technology has left us with challenges and opportunities. The responsibility for managing the nuclear legacy of that work rests with us and not future generations.
"I am pleased with the positive start made by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and we are keen to see high standards maintained and developed.
"The decommissioning of Scotland's civil nuclear sites is at the forefront of technological innovation. It is critical that our academic institutions work closely with others to fill an emerging skills gap and market our expertise internationally."
This is a major international biannual conference on environmental remediation and radioactive waste management with participants from more than 40 countries. This is the tenth in the series: previous conferences were held in the Far East and Europe. A focus of this one will be the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and decommissioning opportunities.
The NDA was created by the Energy Act 2004. The creation of the NDA represents a significant step forward in cleaning up the UK's civil nuclear legacy. It took responsibility for public sector civil nuclear liabilities on April 1, 2005. Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Parliament have clear roles in relation to the NDA which reflect devolved responsibilities.
The NDA is a cross border public authority and is responsible for UK public sector civil nuclear liabilities. It will oversee their decommissioning and clean up, with a long term focus on safe, efficient, environmentally and cost effective management of the liabilities.