(Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State, Minister for Business and
Industry): In its Written Ministerial Statement of
11 January 2018, the Government set out its commitment to put in
place all the necessary measures to ensure that the UK can
operate as an independent and responsible nuclear state upon the
UK’s withdrawal from Euratom. As made clear in a further Written
Ministerial Statement of 26 March 2018, the UK will take legal
responsibility for its own nuclear safeguards regime when Euratom
safeguards arrangements no longer apply.
The necessary measures include the negotiation of new bilateral
safeguards agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA). I am pleased to announce that on 7 June 2018 the UK and
the IAEA signed these new agreements – a Voluntary Offer
Agreement and Additional Protocol – and we intend to bring these
to Parliament for ratification this autumn. The new agreements
will replace the current trilateral agreements between the UK,
the IAEA and Euratom.
The conclusion of these agreements marks the successful
achievement of a major Euratom Exit milestone and and important
step towards ensuring business continuity for the civil nuclear
sector once Euratom arrangements cease to apply to the UK.
On 26 June 2018, the Nuclear Safeguards Bill, which provides the
necessary powers to establish a domestic nuclear safeguards
regime, received Royal Assent.The passage of this Bill marks
another important Euratom Exit milestone and paves the way for
the secondary legislation, on which the Government will be
publicly consulting over the summer, to be put in place before
the end of March 2019.
The Government has also progressed its discussions on Nuclear
Cooperation Agreements (NCAs) with priority countries to ensure
continuity for the civil nuclear sector. On 4 May 2018 the UK
signed a bilateral NCA with the United States of America, and
remains on track to have bilateral agreements with all priority
countries in place when Euratom arrangements cease to apply to
the UK.
In parallel with the above, the Government is negotiating with
the EU on the UK's separation from, and future relationship with,
Euratom. The UK and EU have now reached agreement on all Euratom
related articles of the draft Withdrawal Agreement. The relevant
text has therefore been finalised.
There is more detail on these matters in the second quarterly
update which has today been provided to Parliament by way of a
report. The paper will be placed in the libraries of the House.
As Royal Assent of the Nuclear Safeguards Bill was received on 26
June, the content and timing of these reporting updates to
Parliament will be determined by the relevant provisions of that
legislation.