Nuclear Liabilities Management Strategy

MOD despite a statement in its own policy that NGOs must be involved in the development of the “Nuclear Liabilities Management Strategy”; MOD has confirmed through a response to an FOI request that no NGOs were involved or consulted.

This again demonstrates MOD lack of commitment to its own policies; and the continuing use of the discredited “announce and defend” approach to stakeholder engagement.
In view of the lack of stakeholder involvement in the “Nuclear Liabilities Management Strategy”, it will be interesting to see how many opportunities this will open for judicial challenge relating decisions taken to implement the strategy with all the cost and delays associated with such challenges.  In particular the requirement for strategic environmental assessments of policies plans etc and the associated duty to involve stakeholders.

It is interesting to contrast this to enlightened way in which the NDA went about developing their strategy, involving stakeholders through its development.

FOI request
“Request for Information under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2000
Thank you for your email of 16 September 2011, via www.whatdotheyknow.com, in which you ask:

Can you please tell me if NGOs were consulted in the development of the recently
published MOD Nuclear Liabilities Management Strategy” and if so which NGOs were involved in the consultation. If NGOs were not involved in the consultation on the MOD “ Nuclear Liabilities Management Strategy” why were they not involved despite the commitment in the MOD “MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICY FOR DECOMMISSIONING AND THE DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND RESIDUAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL ARISING FROM THE NUCLEAR PROGRAMME” That they should be involved .

This is considered to be a request for information under the FOI Act. Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act gives an applicant the right to access recorded information held by public authorities at the time the request is made and doesnot require public authorities to answer questions, provide explanations or give opinions, unless this is recorded information held. I can confirm that the Ministry of Defence holds no recorded information that would provide an answer to the questions you have asked in your request.”

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE POLICY FOR DECOMMISSIONING AND THE DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE AND RESIDUAL NUCLEAR MATERIAL ARISING FROM THE NUCLEAR PROGRAMME

MOD Nuclear Liabilities Management Strategy