Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Prime Minister on 2 July (HCWS180), what safety protections are in place for the functioning independence of the Office for Nuclear Regulation after its transfer to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, recognising that as it is not a non-ministerial department, ministerial directions can be issued.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation was established under the Energy Act 2013 and will remain an independent public corporation. This change does not affect their statutory basis, legal powers or regulatory decisions.

Ministers do not intervene on matters of regulatory decision making. The extent to which Ministers can direct the ONR is set out in the Act and under Section 108 of that Act, any Ministerial direction is reported to Parliament on an annual basis.