(Parliamentary
Under-Secretary, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy): The Government has further advanced its
preparations for the UK’s withdrawal from Euratom and the
European Union.
As made clear in previous statements on the topic, the UK has
concluded all replacement international agreements required to
ensure continuity for civil nuclear trade for when Euratom
arrangements no longer apply to the UK and confirmed the
operability of an existing bilateral nuclear cooperation
agreement (NCA) with Japan.
Further to this, the UK and the Government of Japan held formal
negotiations on the text of an Amending Protocol to the existing
bilateral Nuclear Co-operation Agreement (NCA) on 4 June. This
Amending Protocol is not essential for the operability of the NCA
or for our continued trade and cooperation with Japan but
completes the formal legal process to amend the NCA on a
permanent basis. Negotiations on the Amending Protocol continue.
Implementation guidelines for nuclear operators were published on
27 June outlining future reporting requirements on operators
related to nuclear cooperation agreements. These requirements
will allow the UK to comply with its NCAs with Australia, Canada,
Japan and the US, following withdrawal from Euratom.
The UK also continued to make progress in implementing its new
domestic safeguards regime. The Office for Nuclear Regulation
(ONR) remains in a state of readiness to deliver a state system
of accounting for and control of nuclear material (SSAC) that
enables the UK to meet its international safeguards obligations
when Euratom arrangements no longer apply.
The former Secretary of State prescribed the forms required by UK
industry to notify UK regulators of the import of sealed
radioactive sources from EU Member States as well as the forms
required by UK industry and UK regulators to apply for,
authorise, and notify transfrontier shipments of radioactive
waste and spent fuel. The use of these forms will only be
required from exit day in the event that the UK leaves the EU
without a deal. A statement notifying Parliament of the use of
the sub-delegated powers exercised to create these forms can be
found in the report accompanying this statement.
Overall the Government has continued to work closely with
industry to address the issues that may affect the civil nuclear
sector in any exit scenario and remains committed to regular
engagement with industry, civil society, academia, trade unions,
and other interested stakeholders.
Today I will be depositing a report in the Libraries of the House
that sets out further details on the overall progress on the
Government’s implementation of its Euratom exit strategy,
including domestic operational readiness, legislation and
international agreements. The report covers the three-month
reporting period from 26th March to
26th June 2019 and is the fourth and final
statutory report under section 3(4) of the Nuclear Safeguards Act
2018.
