Mr Laurence Robertson (Shadow Minister, Economic Affairs; Tewkesbury, Conservative)

I beg to move amendment No. 68, in

clause 16, page 14, line 14, at end insert—

'(1A) In the case of work carried out, or designations urgently made, the NDA shall, with the permission of the Secretary of State, amend its annual plan, even though it may already have been made and submitted.'.

Mr Jonathan Sayeed (Mid Bedfordshire, Conservative)

With this it will be convenient to discuss the following:

Amendment No. 26, in

clause 16, page 15, line 21, at end add—

'(9) In the event that at any time during the year to which the plan relates the NDA has operated, or acquired with a view to operating, any nuclear operating facilities within the terms of section 6(1) or otherwise they shall include in the plan a full

explanation of the reasons for acquiring or operating such facilities, an estimation of the length of time that the said facilities may operate and their strategy for bringing the operations of said facilities to an end.'.

Amendment No. 70, in

schedule 3, page 162, line 5, after 'State', insert

'and such a plan has been laid before each House of Parliament'.

Amendment No. 71, in

schedule 3, page 162, line 9, at end insert

'following consultation with the Secretary of State and the revision to the plan being laid before each House of Parliament.

(3) The NDA may revise its plan if required to carry out work, or receiving a designation, considered to be urgent.'.

Mr Laurence Robertson (Shadow Minister, Economic Affairs; Tewkesbury, Conservative)

The amendments relate to the annual plans that the NDA must prepare for each financial year. They would require the annual plan to be approved not only by the Secretary of State but by Parliament. Given the Minister's sympathetic consideration of my amendment to require the strategy to be considered by Parliament, I hope that he will be sympathetic about allowing the annual plan to be laid before Parliament.

My amendments are intended to be helpful. I accept that there may be circumstances when the NDA needs to revise its plan, but I suggest in my amendments that it will be able to do that through reference to the Secretary of State. However, amendment No. 71 recognises that the NDA may be required to revise its plan

''if required to carry out work, or receiving a designation, considered to be urgent.''

The amendments are grouped together rather strangely, in that I am suggesting that the plan must go before Parliament, but also accept that there are times when urgent consideration might be necessary. In such circumstances, the NDA will be allowed to amend the plan. Having considered the amendments again, I would probably concede—before the Minister says it—that we may need to consider the way in which they are drafted, but the spirit is there and I should like to hear the Minister's response.

It being twenty-five past Eleven o'clock, The Chairman adjourned the Committee without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Adjourned till this day at half-past Two o'clock.