Implementing Geological Disposal: Annual Report

Andrea Leadsom Excerpts

Monday 20th July 2015 Written Statements

[The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Andrea Leadsom)]

I am pleased to announce today the publication of the fifth annual report of the Government’s Implementing Geological Disposal programme. The programme is focused on implementing the geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste.

The UK Government remain firmly committed to geological disposal as the right policy for the long-term safe and secure management of higher-activity radioactive waste, and continue to favour a voluntarist approach based on working with communities that are willing to participate in the siting process.

The publication of the Implementing Geological Disposal White Paper in July 2014 set out the policy framework for the future implementation of geological disposal in the UK. Government have been progressing the ‘Initial Actions’ set out in the White Paper, and formal discussions between interested communities and the developer will not begin until the ‘Initial Actions’ have been completed.

The fifth annual report can be found at: http://www. gov.uk/decc. I have also written to the Chairs of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee and the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, and I have made available copies in the Libraries of the House.

[HCWS148]