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Nuclear Industry

I am reluctant to overstate my case, but that is indeed what most of the evidence suggests—a point endorsed by Sir Jonathon Porritt when he came before the Committee. That very important canard about nuclear power needs to be laid to rest, and I am grateful for that helpful intervention. We described three issues in relation to nuclear power as broadly ethical and requiring political judgment, which a simple appeal to science cannot definitively resolve. First, should we be creating new nuclear waste that future generations will have to care for? Secondly, does a pro-nuclear policy undermine the Government’s attempts to stop nuclear proliferation such as in the case of Iran? Thirdly, should the United Kingdom be showing leadership in the fight to reduce carbon emissions at any cost when, at global level, our contribution can be at best marginal? Hon. Members will have different views on such issues. It is arguable that the original energy review failed to address them in sufficient depth. We know, for example, that new nuclear build will add only about 10 per cent. to the existing volume of nuclear waste. The other 90 per cent. is there and has to be dealt with already, although there is debate about the level of the radioactive waste and whether it makes it more expensive to deal with. The industry says that it does not, while others have a different view. The Committee felt that a decision against nuclear power would also be unlikely to prevent the wider proliferation of nuclear technology, so long as other developed countries continue to pursue a pro-nuclear stance and the United Kingdom remains a nuclear military power, which, since the report, the House has voted that it should. The House must reach a decision on the carbon issue and to what extent we need to set an example to the wider world. Another issue often raised is the security of nuclear installations. Modern nuclear reactors are designed to stringent standards, primarily to protect them from acts of God, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and tornadoes. Whatever happens to climate change, the clemency of the British weather militates against the need to protect against those particular risks. However, it worth noting that the third generation reactors that would form part of a renewal programme in the United Kingdom do not have specific anti-terrorism measures––something that they should have. The evidence that the Committee received suggested that existing measures such as concrete shields and automatic shutdown mechanisms were sufficient to prevent radioactive discharge as a result of any foreseeable terrorist attack. The Committee believes that such an issue should not concern the House.