Archived press release

NIREX obstructs HMIP over nuclear waste dump

31 May 1995

UK Nirex Ltd, the nuclear industry's nuclear waste disposalorganisation, is stopping Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) from carrying out its statutory duties, Friends of the Earth revealed today. Nirex has prevented HMIP from publishing research reports which, Friends of the Earth understand, question Nirex's ability to produce a safety case for its proposed nuclear waste dump at Sellafield.

The Government's Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee(RWMAC) today stated that HMIP "should be required to make public its professional assessment of Nirex's ability to satisfy the safety case for the repository" at the forthcoming public inquiry into Nirex's so-called rock laboratory.(1) Nirex owns the data used by HMIP and has not consented to its publication.(2)

Dr Patrick Green, Friends of the Earth's Radioactive Waste Campaigner said;

"Nirex must not be allowed to get away with its scandalous attempt to interfere with the statutory duties of HMIP. The Government must direct HMIP to publish these reports no matter how damaging to Nirex's case."

If Nirex do proceed to construct an underground nuclear waste dump at Sellafield, HMIP will be responsible for authorising the disposal of nuclear waste under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. To help it fulfil this statutory duty HMIP has established a detailed research programme to review Nirex's safety assessment research.(3) In 1992, it awarded contracts worth o1933 million to WS Atkins and Intera to review Nirex's work.(4,5) The reports have been completed and submitted to HMIP but have not been published. Friends of the Earth has requested that these reports be made available under the Environment Information Regulations 1992 but has been informed by HMIP that:

"The information supplied by UK Nirex Ltd which forms the basis of work under [the] contracts. . . falls within the exceptions to the Environment Information Regulations 1992 and in particular rule 4(3)(c). HMIP cannot, therefore, release any work based on this information to third parties without the consent of UK Nirex."(6)

Dr Patrick Green, concluded;

"Once again Nirex has been exposed as an organisation that has no interest in honest scientific debate. It clearly cannot be trusted to act in the public interest."

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS: 1. RWMAC, Review of Waste Management Issues: The RWMAC Forward Look, April 1995. 2. Letter to Friends of the Earth from Dr J Murlis, Head of Research and Assessments, HMIP Business Strategy Division, 11 May 1995 3. HMIP Annual Report 1993-94, pages 103-111 4. Contract Ref PECD 7/9/644 attached. 5. Contract Ref PECD 7/9/608 attached. 6. Rule 4(3) c states:

"(3) For the purposes of these Regulations Information must be treated as confidential if, and only if, in the case of any request made to a relevant person under regulation 3 above:- (c) the information is held by the relevant person in consequence of having been supplied by a person who - (i) was not under, and could not have been put under, any legal obligation to supply it to the relevant person; (ii) did not supply it in circumstances such that the relevant person is entitled apart from these Regulations to disclose it; and (iii) has not consented to its disclosure."

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