Latest news from Sellafield - Creation of the Office for Nuclear Regulation

Tuesday 8 February 2011

 

Written Ministerial Statement

THE DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS

Creation of the Office for Nuclear Regulation

Minister for Employment: (The Rt. Hon. Chris Grayling MP) The Government

intends to bring forward legislation to create a new independent statutory

body outside of the HSE to regulate the nuclear power industry. The new

statutory corporation would be known as the Office for Nuclear Regulation

(ONR) and would take on the relevant functions currently carried out by the

Health and Safety Executive and the Department for Transport.

The ONR would be a new independent regulator, formally responsible in law

for delivering its regulatory functions. The creation of the ONR would

consolidate civil nuclear and radioactive transport safety and security

regulation in one place.

The proposal will not affect the current regulatory requirements or

standards with which industry must comply, and the vast majority of the

costs of the regulator would continue to be recovered in charges from

operators in the nuclear industry rather than funded by the public purse.

Additional organisational costs will be entirely met by the nuclear

industry.

Pending the legislation, the Health and Safety Executive is taking steps to

establish the ONR as a non-statutory body from 1 April 2011, signalling our

commitment to securing an appropriately resourced and responsive regulator

for the future challenges of the nuclear sector. The Government will review

the functions and processes of the interim body in order to inform its

planned legislation.