This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Report on management of radioactive waste
31/07/2006
The Executive, with UK government and the administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland, today welcomed the report by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management making recommendations for the long-term management of the UK's higher level radioactive waste.
Environment Minister Ross Finnie and CoRWM's other sponsor Ministers, praised the way the Committee had engaged stakeholders, members of the public and the scientific community during the preparation of the report.
Mr Finnie added that the UK Government and the devolved administrations will continue to work together and develop policy in light of the Committee's recommendations, and a full response would be made to respective Parliaments and the National Assembly for Wales when they are in session later in the autumn.
He stressed that Government is committed to ensure public safety and environmental protection by strong regulation and enforcement and through continued independent scrutiny and advice to Government on long-term radioactive waste management issues.
Mr Finnie also stressed that, consistent with CoRWM's recommendations, the Government is committed to develop a strong voluntary partnership with local communities and will aspire to a policy of voluntarism in identifying a site for geological disposal. Voluntarism would mean that only a community who offered a site (and had suitable geology) would be considered.
The report recommends:
- geological disposal as the best option for the long-term management for the UK's higher activity radioactive waste
- a continued commitment to the safe and secure interim storage of the waste during the period it will take to plan and construct the geological disposal facility
- that Government should look to develop partnership arrangements, linked to appropriate involvement and benefit packages with local authorities/ communities as a means of securing facility siting
Ross Finnie said:
"CoRWM has been ground-breaking in the open and transparent manner in which it has conducted its business, and in its engagement with stakeholders, members of the public as well as the scientific community.
"It has undertaken an extensive programme of work and has rigorously assessed all the options. It has considered and reflected a wide range of viewpoints, and arrived at a report, which I believe will provide a strong basis for taking forward a programme to deal with higher level radioactive wastes.
"Public safety and environmental protection will be our utmost concern in taking forward the programme for the long term management of the UK's higher activity wastes. The Government well understands the importance of independent scrutiny on issues of nuclear power. We will ensure, in taking this programme forward, that there is a robust regulatory regime and independent oversight.
"We are committed to develop a strong partnership with local communities. We have no intention of forcing nuclear waste on any community."
The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management is an independent committee appointed jointly in 2003 by the UK Government and devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its task has been to review the options for the estimated 470,000 cubic metres of radioactive wastes.
2 Its chair is Professor Gordon MacKerron. The other members of the committee are:
- Dr Wynne Davies (deputy chair)
- Mary Allen
- Fred Barker
- Professor Andrew Blowers OBE
- Professor Brian D. Clark MBE
- Dr Mark Dutton
- Colonel Fiona Walthall OBE
- Professor Lynda Warren
- Jenny Watson
- Pete Wilkinson