Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to ensure a seamless continuity of legislation and regulatory standards, and the enforcement of industry’s compliance with them, throughout and following the UK’s withdrawal from Euratom.

Nuclear safety and security in the UK are currently regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and these arrangements will continue.

When Euratom safeguards arrangements no longer apply to the UK, the ONR will regulate safeguards in the UK. The ONR is confident that they will have in place the IT system and safeguards inspectors needed to ensure the UK continues to meet its international obligations when Euratom arrangements no longer apply.

The Government has made significant progress in our preparations to leave Euratom, to ensure a domestic nuclear safeguards regime can be in place from day one of exit, including passing the Nuclear Safeguards Act 2018 and proposing draft Nuclear Safeguards Regulations.

As outlined in the White Paper published on 12 July, the UK has proposed that we will be seeking a close association with Euratom, including regulatory cooperation on nuclear safeguards and technical cooperation on nuclear safety. We are well advanced in our work to address the issues that may affect the civil nuclear sector if an agreement is not reached with the EU.