(Parliamentary Under
Secretary of State, Minister for Business and
Industry): For over sixty years our country has
benefited from nuclear technology. It provides clean energy to
our homes and businesses and will continue to play an important
role as we transition to a low carbon economy. We also have a
long history of using radioactive materials to treat and diagnose
serious illnesses, to deliver research and development and to
help deliver industrial processes. Radioactive waste is created
from a variety of sources including electricity generation,
defence and healthcare. Most of this waste is low in
radioactivity and is disposed of safely every day by skilled
nuclear engineers across the country. However, some materials
remain radioactive for thousands of years and require more
specialised disposal facilities. Currently this waste is held
safely in stores above ground. But this is only an interim
measure – a permanent solution is needed. Geological disposal is
internationally recognised as the safest and most secure means of
permanently managing this type of waste.
A geological disposal facility will contribute to the
Government’s Industrial Strategy, which identified the key role
the nuclear sector has in increasing productivity and driving
clean growth. It is a multi-billion-pound infrastructure
investment and will provide skilled jobs and benefits to the
community that hosts it for more than 100 years. It is likely to
involve major investments in local transport facilities and other
infrastructure.
I am today laying before Parliament the revised National Policy
Statement for Geological Disposal Infrastructure for the relevant
period ending (21 sitting days post lay date) pursuant to section
9(8) of the Planning Act 2008. At the same time, I am also
laying, pursuant to section 9(5) of the Planning Act 2008, the
Government’s response to the Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy Committee and publishing the Government’s response to
the public consultation on the draft national policy statement.
The National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal
Infrastructure sets out the need for such disposal infrastructure
to safely and securely manage the UKs inventory of higher
activity radioactive wastes. It provides an appropriate and
effective framework for the Planning Inspectorate and the
Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy to examine and make decisions on development
consent applications for geological disposal infrastructure in
England. The statement is based on existing Government policy for
managing higher activity radioactive waste. This National Policy
Statement sits alongside the ‘Working with Communities’ policy
document that was published in December 2018 and sets out the
framework for managing this type of waste through geological
disposal and the process for how we will work with communities to
find a location for this facility. That process is now underway.
A public consultation on the draft national policy statement was
undertaken from 25th January 2018 to 19th April 2018 and the
statement was also scrutinised by the Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy Committee, who considered written evidence as
well as information from oral evidence sessions. I would like to
thank the Committee for their very helpful report and
recommendations, and also those who contributed to the subsequent
debate on this issue in the House of Lords in September 2018.
The Government has considered the consultation responses and the
report of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
in producing this revised version of the national policy
statement.
Copies of the National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal
Infrastructure and Government’s response to the Business, Energy
and Industrial Strategy Committee will be laid in parliament. I
am also publishing these documents on the Department’s website,
with the Government’s response to the public consultation on the
draft national policy statement and the Equality Analysis for the
National Policy Statement.
