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By Lord Jenkin of Roding - 11th November 2010
Lord Jenkin of Roding writes for ePolitix.com ahead of his question on the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.
My question is intended to find out why the introduction of this Legislative Reform Order (LRO) is being delayed.
It was in 2008 that the then government realised that the nuclear safety regulator, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), was being hampered in its hugely important duties because it was finding it difficult to recruit the expert nuclear inspectors it needed.
The problem was identified as due to the fact that the people needed are pretty rare birds, as they have to have a combination of skills and experience which are increasingly in demand round the world. They can also command salaries that do not fit easily into the usual civil service scales, and look to having pensions that may for various technical reasons conflict with the rules applicable to civil servants.
The solution was to be an LRO which reconstituted the NII as a separate independent body; though it would still be answerable to the HSE, it would be free from the civil service rules on pay and pensions. Consultations established that there was total unanimity on this - including the trade unions. The chair of the Health and Safety Executive, to which the NII reports, assured me personally that she too saw no difficulties.
A Draft LRO was published months ago but for some reason has not been laid before Parliament. The nuclear industry is desperate to get ahead with securing the safety approvals it needs to start work on the new nuclear build, but until the NII is free to recruit enough inspectors, the work is threatened with delays.
I have tabled my question to find out what has gone wrong.
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