Government Response to the BEIS Committee's Report on the Draft National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal Infrastructure

This is the government's response, published 10 July 2019.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government welcomes the Committee's report and states that it has accepted the recommendations "except where only a clarification of the position was felt appropriate", with the NPS revised in response.

• On the justification for geological disposal, the government welcomes the recommendation and says Chapter 3 of the NPS has been revised to clarify the need case, "noting that it does not rely solely on the CoRWM recommendation".
• On the waste inventory, it agrees the UK Derived Inventory should not be finalised before the final NPS, and says the NPS clarifies there is "a certain level of uncertainty" over waste volumes.
• On community consent, it says RWM "cannot apply for a Development Consent Order to build a GDF unless the community has expressly given its consent through a positive Test of Public Support", and that the community can withdraw before that test.
• On the Industrial Strategy, it "acknowledges" the recommendation and does not include references to the Industrial Strategy in the NPS, while stating that a GDF will contribute towards its delivery.

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