Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Public accountability is hindered by a lack of transparency about the scale and nature of...
Conclusion
Public accountability is hindered by a lack of transparency about the scale and nature of the challenge of decommissioning and the performance of the NDA. Nuclear decommissioning will cost current and future generations of taxpayers’ substantial sums of money and has a significant impact on the lives of those who live near one of the NDA’s sites. However, little information about, for example, the timescales for completing decommissioning work and returning land to communities is readily available to the public. Greater transparency about progress with decommissioning would improve public accountability, help to stimulate improved performance, and increase the visibility to local communities of the activities and opportunities available on NDA sites. Recommendation: NDA should be more transparent about its current and future plans with the local communities surrounding its 17 sites to strengthen public accountability and make clear the socioeconomic impact of its planned activities. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s management of the Magnox contract 9 1 Understanding and managing the burden of nuclear decommissioning on the taxpayer
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
6: PAC conclusion: Public accountability is hindered by a lack of transparency about the scale and nature of the challenge of decommissioning and the performance of the NDA. 6: PAC recommendation: NDA should be more transparent about its current and future plans with the local communities surrounding its 17 sites to strengthen public accountability and make clear the socioeconomic impact of its planned activities. 6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Winter 2021 6.2 The NDA’s annual Business Plan is the key document to explain decommissioning activities around its sites. In the next edition to be published in Spring 2021 the NDA will make particular efforts to explain the main decommissioning work on a site-by-site basis in clear language with transparent dates and indicative figures on expenditure. The Business Plan is subject to public consultation allowing individuals, groups and organizations to submit their views, so that we have a good idea of what local communities would like to see in it prior to finalisation and publication. 6.3 Moreover, the NDA holds regular engagements with the stakeholders local to its sites through a series of site stakeholder groups. 6.4 The Business Plan allows local communities to see the socio-economic impact of the NDA’s activities. However to further increase transparency, NDA also provides a further in-depth analysis of its work, for instance the impacts associated with the Magnox sites were reported and published in 2018. 6.5 During 2021 the NDA will update its report on economic impact assessments and report back to the committee. This study will cover all of the NDA’s sites, using a similar methodology to the 2018 study which covered direct employment effects, supply chain expenditure and indirect effects of local expenditure on hotels and local shops.