Asked by: Lord Warner (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their contingency plan in the event that the United States Senate does not ratify by treaty a new Nuclear Cooperation Agreement by the end of 2020, following the UK's exit from Euratom.
Answered by Lord Henley
The US has a legal requirement for a nuclear cooperation agreement to be in place before civil nuclear trade with another country can be permitted. For this reason, the Government has prioritised discussions with the US, to ensure that a new bilateral agreement will be in place when Euratom’s agreements no longer apply to the UK. The strong links between US and UK on civil nuclear matters ensure that both parties are keen to progress this agreement to their mutual benefit. Significant progress has been made on the substance of the new agreement and it is on track to be presented to the UK Parliament and US Congress in the course of 2018 for ratification, ensuring that the agreement will be ready well before the end of 2020
Asked by: Lord Warner (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Henley on 20 March (HL Deb, col 219) that they will seek a "close association" with Euratom after Brexit, what areas they seek to cover in such an association; whether they have engaged in (1) meetings, and (2) correspondence, with Euratom about such an association; if not, when they will approach Euratom about such an association; and whether they will report on progress on that issue in the regular reports to Parliament provided for in the Nuclear Safeguards Bill.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government has made clear that its ambition for a close association with the Euratom Community after the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union includes seeking a close association with the Euratom Research and Training Programme, including the Joint European Torus (JET) and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) projects; continuity of open trade arrangements for nuclear goods and products to ensure that the nuclear industry is able to continue to trade across EU borders without disruption; and close and effective cooperation with Euratom on nuclear safety.
The negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU have not yet begun so no formal meetings have yet taken place on the nature of the future relationship with Euratom. The Government has ensured that the European Commission is aware of the Government’s January Ministerial Statement setting out the UK’s objective of close association on Euratom and what this would cover. This was reinforced in my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s speech at Mansion House on 2 March. The Government will continue to report on progress through its quarterly reports to Parliament, the first of which was made on 26 March.
Asked by: Lord Warner (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 18 January (HL4659), which body will discharge the framework-setting role currently performed by Euratom with regard to the safe manufacture, transport, use and disposal of medical isotopes.
Answered by Lord Henley
The safety and security of radioactive materials is a top priority for the Government. The UK already has robust domestic legislation in place to ensure that the keeping, movement and use of radioactive sources is tightly regulated, whether on nuclear sites or in hospitals. The UK’s regulatory regime is based on international regulatory requirements for sources informed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UK will continue to meet its international obligations in full and ensure that UK law and regulatory oversight continues to deliver the highest standards of safety, in line with the relevant international frameworks.
Medical radioisotopes are also subject to European medicines regulation which establishes a licensing regime and controls on the quality of materials, as well as manufacturing and distribution processes within Europe. In the UK human medicines are subject to national human medicines legislation which transposes the requirements of the European regulatory regime. This regime is enforced by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and will continue to do so after our withdrawal from the EU.
Asked by: Lord Warner (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord O'Shaughnessy on 18 January (HL4659), which body or bodies in the UK will be responsible for setting and enforcing the standards for the safe use, disposal and transportation of medical isotopes after exit from the EU; and how will that body, or those bodies, ensure that the necessary upgrades in standards in those areas currently secured through EU directives are maintained in the UK after exit day.
Answered by Lord Henley
The safety and security of radioactive materials is a top priority for the Government. The UK already has robust domestic legislation in place to ensure that the keeping, movement and use of radioactive sources is tightly regulated, whether on nuclear sites or in hospitals. The UK’s regulatory regime is based on international regulatory requirements for sources informed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Following our withdrawal from the EU and Euratom, the UK will continue to meet its international obligations in full and ensure that UK law and regulatory oversight continues to deliver the highest standards of safety, in line with the relevant international frameworks.