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14 Jan 2008 : Column 971W—continued
Export Credit Guarantees: Sakhalin Island
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations he has received on compliance with the environmental conditions attached to the proposed Export Credits Guarantee Department funding of the Sakhalin II project; what assessment he has made of these representations; when he expects to make a decision on the application; and if he will make a statement. [170157]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 12 December 2007]: ECGD has received submissions from a number of interested parties about the environmental impacts of the Sakhalin II project. These will be taken into account in accordance with ECGD's published Case Impact Analysis Process (www.ecgd.gov.uk).
In considering whether to provide support for the project, ECGD will apply its normal underwriting policy and its business principles. Relevant factors include the financial, technical and environmental aspects of the project.
ECGD has not made a decision on support; a note of decision will be published in due course.
Financial Assistance Scheme
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform when he expects the Government to make an announcement on whether it will be appealing against the European Commission's recent ruling on the state aid rules infringements by Shetland’s trusts as a result of local financial assistance schemes operated by them. [175709]
Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
Although I have yet to see any grounds for an appeal, I have written to my counterpart in Scotland seeking his views on the matter. Should the Government decide to lodge an appeal, I will write to the hon. Member.
Furniture: Fire Prevention
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make it his policy to seek the amending of EU legislation on fire safety of furnishings in line with UK regulations. [177624]
Mr. Thomas: There is currently no EU legislation which specifically deals with the fire safety of furniture/furnishings. The general product safety directive (GPSD) covers the safety of all products not covered by other legislation. I understand that the GPSD Committee has begun discussions on whether further work should be undertaken on the European furniture/furnishings flammability standard. The UK, at official level, is represented on this Committee.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the likely level of greenhouse gas emissions from the 10 new opencast coal mines in each year that they are expected to operate. [176993]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 9 January 2008]: As shown by the following table, there is a general balance between surface mines opening and closing in any particular year. The net impact of new mines is therefore broadly neutral.
| Mines closed | Mines opened | |||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 (f/c) | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 (f/c) | |
| Source: The Coal Authority | ||||||
In 2006 coal-fired power stations used 57.3 million tonnes of coal in supplying 37.7 per cent. of UK electricity supplies. UK surface mines contributed 8.6 million tonnes of this coal (down from 10.4 million tonnes in 2005), representing 15 per cent. of total feedstock and around 5.5 per cent. of total UK electricity supply.
Land: Radioactivity
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what it would cost the Government to remediate all land which has been radioactively contaminated to date. [177703]
Malcolm Wicks: Under the various Radioactive Contaminated Land Regulations 2007, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where civil liability for a nuclear incident is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, the Government are liable, in certain circumstances, for the remediation of land outside a nuclear site contaminated above a certain threshold by nuclear matter. We currently know of no such radioactively contaminated land which would trigger these regulations.
In addition, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has plans in place to decommission and clean-up the nuclear sites in its ownership. This will involve future remediation of areas of land that may be contaminated to much lower levels than the threshold of the above regulations. The NDA strategy for the decommissioning and clean up of the 20 civil public sector nuclear sites designated to the NDA is available to download from the NDA website (NDA Final Strategy 2006). Also available for download are the 2006-07 Lifetime Plan Site Summaries, which outline activities required to take the site from the present to the assumed or agreed site end state.
The above information relates to civil nuclear sites only. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has responsibility for defence nuclear sites.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the total cost to Government of the identification and remediation of radioactively contaminated land in the UK up to 2020. [177704]
Malcolm Wicks: Under the various Radioactive Contaminated Land Regulations 2007, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where civil liability for a nuclear incident is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, the Government are liable, in certain circumstances, for the remediation of land outside a nuclear site contaminated above a certain threshold by nuclear matter.
We currently know of no such radioactively contaminated land which would trigger these regulations. The likelihood of an event of this nature arising in the future is sufficiently remote and its possible nature so variable, that no advance estimates or advance provisions for it can be made.
In addition, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has plans in place to decommission and clean-up the nuclear sites in its ownership. This will involve future remediation of areas of land that may be contaminated to much lower levels than the threshold of the above regulations. The NDA strategy for the decommissioning and clean up of the 20 civil public sector nuclear sites designated to the NDA is available to download from the NDA website (NDA Final Strategy 2006). Also available for download are the 2006-07 Lifetime Plan Site Summaries, which outline activities required to take the site from the present to the assumed or agreed site end state. The majority of these programmes extend well beyond 2020.
The above information relates to civil nuclear sites only. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has responsibility for defence nuclear sites.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of the costs of remediation of land radioactively contaminated by the nuclear energy industry falls to those whose activities contaminated the land; and who is liable for any remaining remediation costs arising from radioactive contamination by the current generation of nuclear power stations. [177705]
Malcolm Wicks: Under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, nuclear site license holders are liable for the identification and remediation of radioactive contaminated land within the sites they operate. This is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive via the site license conditions.
Under the various Radioactive Contaminated Land Regulations 2007, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where civil liability for a nuclear incident is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, the Government are liable, in certain circumstances, for the remediation of land outside a nuclear site contaminated above a certain threshold by nuclear matter.
We currently know of no such radioactively contaminated land which would trigger these regulations. The likelihood of an event of this nature arising in the future is sufficiently remote and its possible nature so variable, that no advance estimates or advance provisions for it can be made.
In addition, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has plans in place to decommission and clean-up the nuclear sites in its ownership. This will involve future remediation of areas of land that may be contaminated to much lower levels than the threshold of the above regulations. The NDA strategy for the decommissioning and clean up of the 20 civil public sector nuclear sites designated to the NDA is available to download from the NDA website (NDA Final Strategy 2006). Also available for download are the 2006-07 Lifetime Plan Site Summaries, which outline activities required to take the site from the present to the assumed or agreed site end state.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost to his Department is of underwriting the liabilities of land contamination against radioactive pollution from the British nuclear industry. [177709]
Malcolm Wicks: Under the various Radioactive Contaminated Land Regulations 2007, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where civil liability for a nuclear incident is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, the Government are liable, in certain circumstances, for the remediation of land outside a nuclear site contaminated above a certain threshold by nuclear matter.
We currently know of no such radioactively contaminated land which would trigger these regulations. The likelihood of an event of this nature arising in the future is sufficiently remote and its possible nature so variable, that no advance estimates or advance provisions for it can be made.
In addition, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has plans in place to decommission and clean-up the nuclear sites in its ownership. This will involve future remediation of areas of land that may be contaminated to much lower levels than the threshold of the above regulations. The NDA strategy for the decommissioning and clean up of the 20 civil public sector nuclear sites designated to the NDA is available to download from the NDA website (NDA Final Strategy 2006). Also available for download are the 2006-07 Lifetime Plan Site Summaries, which
outline activities required to take the site from the present to the assumed or agreed site end state.
The information given relates to civil nuclear sites only. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has responsibility for defence nuclear sites.
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many acres of land are known to be sufficiently contaminated by radioactivity to warrant remediation to limit danger to workers or the general public; and what estimate he has made of the acreage likely to be so contaminated after the decommissioning of all the UK’s nuclear power plants. [177710]
Malcolm Wicks: Under the various Radioactive Contaminated Land Regulations 2007, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, where civil liability for a nuclear incident is regulated by the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, the Government are liable, in certain circumstances, for the remediation of land outside a nuclear site contaminated above a certain threshold by nuclear matter.
We currently know of no such radioactively contaminated land which would trigger these regulations. The likelihood of an event of this nature arising in the future is sufficiently remote and its possible nature so variable, that no advance estimates or advance provisions for it can be made.
In addition, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has plans in place to decommission and clean-up sites in its ownership. This will involve further remediation of areas of land that may be contaminated to much lower levels than the threshold of the above regulations. The NDA strategy for the decommissioning and clean up of the 20 civil public sector nuclear sites designated to the NDA is available to download from the NDA website (NDA Final Strategy 2006). Also available for download are the 2006-07 Lifetime Plan Site Summaries, which outline activities required to take the site from the present to the assumed or agreed site end state.
The proportion of land that requires remediation across the NDA estate and the level of remediation, will be fit for purpose, reflecting the risk that the land poses to humans and the environment and taking account of the proposed end use and the delicensing requirements of the Health and Safety Executive as appropriate.
Nuclear Power Stations: Coastal Areas
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) evaluated on the risk of inundation of existing coastal nuclear energy installations from tidal flooding. [177839]
Malcolm Wicks: A cross-nuclear industry group operating under the oversight of the Health and Safety Executive has carried out research into the methodology for the prediction of flooding from extreme sea levels. Subsequent research has evaluated the additional effects of climate change for the UK as a whole, and local to five representative coastal nuclear sites.
Nuclear Power Stations: Security
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of the costs of providing security for nuclear energy power stations, associated facilities and storage will come from the public purse in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [178206]
Malcolm Wicks: The public does not meet any of the direct costs incurred for the provision of security at licensed civil nuclear sites. These costs, including costs for the civil nuclear constabulary, in-house security arrangements, and the Office for Civil Nuclear Security, (the security regulator) are met by the operators of such sites.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost was of providing security for nuclear energy power stations, associated facilities and storage in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [178208]
Malcolm Wicks: All security costs at licensed civil nuclear sites in the UK are met by the operators of such sites. These include the costs of corporate security, in-house security arrangements and, at those sites where there is a regulatory requirement for a dedicated, on-site armed response provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), the cost of providing and maintaining this dedicated policing resource. The industry regulator for security, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security, (OCNS, part of the Nuclear Directorate of the Health and Safety Executive), also recovers the cost of its regulatory activity from the industry.
Before March 2005, security measures at the nine nuclear generating sites did not include armed officers from the CNC. Between March 2005 and March 2007, CNC Support Units comprising authorised firearms officers were recruited, trained and deployed to the nine nuclear generating sites to augment the in-house, unarmed civilian security staff. The costs of this deployment (including start-up costs) and the charges raised since March 2007 are £30.l million. These were met by British Energy and Magnox Electric, the operators of the sites.
There are 42 licensed nuclear sites in the UK, including the nine nuclear generating stations. OCNS recovered a total of £10.88 million from the operators of these 42 licensed nuclear sites over the last five financial years as a charge for its regulatory activity at all sites.
Political Levy
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what figures (a) his Department and (b) the Certification Officer holds on the average political levy charged by (i) all trades unions and (ii) each trade union in the latest period for which figures are available [177602]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 10 January 2008]: Neither the Department nor the Certification Officer holds the particular information that is needed to provide figures on the average political levies charged.
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