Follow-up Questions
RECOMMENDATION J:
DISSOLVER
The Committee looks forward to receiving a copy
of the dissolver decision expected by mid-summer
The public consultation raised a number of very
different points of view. It has taken longer than expected to
assess these, and the Department is therefore not yet in a position
to announce a decision. A decision will be announced as soon as
is practical.
RECOMMENDATION L:
DISCOUNT RATE
The Committee looks forward to receiving a copy
of the guidance on decommissioning referred to in (l)
Draft guidance has been prepared and DTI is
currently consulting other government departments on its content,
including advice on the use of discount rates. A copy will be
sent to the Committee on publication. The preparation of this
draft guidance has had to proceed alongside the revision of the
Treasury "Green book". The Green book is designed to
help government departments and agencies appraise and evaluate
their activities effectively. It is currently being revised by
HM Treasury, and a new version is expected to be available by
the end of the year.
RECOMMENDATION O:
NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS
INSPECTORATE
It would be helpful to have information on the
outcome of the HSE application for an additional 19 inspectors,
and of the 14 job offers made
We agree it is essential that HSE/NII is adequately
resourced to enable it to undertake its full range of responsibilities.
Decisions on resources for NII (as for HSE generally) are the
responsibility of DETR Ministers and the Treasury. The HSE has
explained the latest position to us as follows: The last recruitment
campaign identified 9 successful candidates who accepted job offers.
One more candidate is to be interviewed in the near future. This
means that the NII currently forecast having 154 inspectors in
post, against a cadre of 159 at 31 March 2001. HSE will be considering
how further recruitment to an increased cadre might best be met
during 2001-02, in light of the recent Spending Review settlement.
Proposed Public Private Partnership for BNFL,
Ninth Report of 1999-2000, HC 404: Government Response, Ninth
Special Report HC 307
1. When it became known in the autumn of
1998 that the Government had commissioned a report on the possibility
of introducing a Public Private Partnership (PPP) into BNFL, the
Committee decided to monitor proceedings, with a view to reporting
to the House at a later stage. In July 1999 the Government announced
its intention to proceed with a PPP by the end of the present
Parliament. The Committee heard oral evidence as planned in the
spring of 2000, by which time BNFL had suffered a series of setbacks
which led to a delay being announced in the timetable. The Committee
curtailed its evidence programme and reported in May 2000.
2. The Government replied in July 2000.
The Committee's conclusions and recommendations have by and large
been accepted, including its call for more challenging targets
for BNFL, for tidying up contractual arrangements, and for the
Government to become a more effective and intelligent shareholder.
Some issues—such as foreign ownership—remain to be
addressed. There remains controversy over the future of reprocessing;
the Committee Report prompted the Government to re-affirm its
support for efforts by BNFL to pursue new reprocessing contracts.
A decision on the Sellafield Mox plant is still awaited. BNFL's
US contracts are still uncertain.
3. The Report was debated in the House on
8 November 2000 for over four hours on an adjournment motion,
in time given in lieu of a half Estimates day debate. The Committee
continues to monitor progress, and may well report again to the
House in due course.
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