The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
Energy Bill [Lords]
9:30 am
Mr Norman Baker (Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Environment, Food & Rural Affairs; Lewes, Liberal Democrat)
I hope that it is appropriate to make general comments about the proposal to establish the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as that will enable me to curtail future comments on later amendments. The good news is that the Liberal Democrats believe it right—indeed, long overdue—to establish such a body. There is a need to assess the amount of time, effort and money to be devoted to the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the onward transmission to waste disposal. I also welcome the Government's statement, in their document, ''Developing a Framework For Stakeholder Engagement and Transparency for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)'', that it is important to establish
''the credibility of the NDA as a body which can deliver and will make a difference.''
The establishment of such a body throws into sharp relief the costs of decommissioning, which at £48 billion will be £8,000 for every man, woman and child in the country. Although this debate is not about new nuclear build, those who advocate it may wish to consider the cost to date of the nuclear industry for every person in the country.