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Energy Bill

moved Amendment No. 41: 41: Before Clause 42, insert the following new Clause— ““Nuclear Installations Inspectorate The Secretary of State shall, in each calendar year following that in which this Act is passed, lay before Parliament a report on— (a) his assessment of the appropriate levels of staff and resources in the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, (b) the progress that has been made towards reaching that target, and (c) the effect on progress towards approval of new nuclear reactors.”” The noble Baroness said: A substantial part of the Bill is designed to allow nuclear installations to be built more quickly. As was mentioned by many noble Lords at Second Reading, the Bill is part of a three-pronged approach to establishing a secure low-carbon energy industry; the other parts consist of the Climate Change Bill and the Planning Bill. The Planning Bill is intended to streamline the planning process for large-scale infrastructure works. Nuclear build is undoubtedly part of that. It is therefore difficult to approach this matter in its entirely while scrutinising this Bill alone. However, the amendment addresses the problem of streamlining the process for nuclear development in a more general fashion. We all agree that if new reactors are going to be built, they must undergo the most rigorous scrutiny to ensure long-term durability and safety. Considering the amount of growth that might be expected in the nuclear sector, it is important to make certain that we have the resources to keep up with this growth at a crucial stage in the development of nuclear build; namely, the approval of new reactors. This amendment would require the Secretary of State to assess what levels of staff and what resources would be required to ensure that the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate will be able to handle the potential growth in this industry. In addition to assessing staff levels and resources, the Secretary of State would be required to report on what progress is being made to provide any support that is needed. This report would also come to bear on the effect of staffing levels on the efficiency of approving new reactors. It is of paramount importance that new build should not be unduly held up only because there are not adequate resources to approve new reactors. If progress is going to be made in this direction, it would be sad to see the Government’s lack of foresight as the cause of delay; that might put off further investment and deprive the country of a valuable energy supply. I beg to move.