The Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Department for Work and Pensions has launched a consultation on the government’s proposals to restructure the Health and Safety Executive’s nuclear directorate.
The proposals are designed to improve the organisational framework for nuclear regulation in the UK, and would effect two key changes:
1) The creation of a new sector-specific independent regulator, with a pre-dominantly non-executive Board, which reports to: (i) Ministers in respect of its regulatory functions; and (ii) Ministers and the HSE in respect of strategies and business planning.
2) The transfer of the statutory responsibilities for the exercise of transport, security and safeguards functions from the Secretaries of State for Transport and Energy and Climate Change to the new regulator.
Benefits would include enhanced transparency and accountability. The restructuring will not change the substance or standards of regulation or compromise the independence of the nuclear regulatory body, and will not affect the decisions it takes or the international obligations the government requires it to meet.
The consultation opened on 30 June and will run until 22 September 2009. The consultation is available on: http-decc-gov-uk-en-content-cms-consultations-hse-restruct-hse-r-20estruct-aspx
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