In July 2003, the government announced that it was to begin a process of making Nirex, the body responsible for the long-term management of radioactive waste, independent of the nuclear industry. This was one of the major recommendations of the UK CEED Consensus Conference citizens’ panel which first met in May 1999 and was reconvened in January 2002. It represents one of many of the panel’s recommendations which have subsequently been adopted as official policy by either industry or government. A further recommendation which was implemented was the setting up of an independent body to assess the various options available for long term radioactive waste management. CoRWM was subsequently established in 2003 and has recently published its final draft recommendations.
UK CEED convened and managed the UK National Consensus Conference on Radioactive Waste Management in 1999. The Centre subsequently reconvened the Conference’s Citizen’s Panel at the request of the then Minister for the Environment in 2002. By clicking on the links below you can read the original and follow up reports by the Citizens’ Panel and also some background information.
At UK CEED’s Consensus Conference on Radioactive Waste in 1999, the then Environment Minister Michael Meacher praised the citizens’ panel for their excellent report and hard work during the 9 month initiative. He also promised to reconvene the panel to consider the government’s consultation paper. Folowing the launch of the consultation paper in late 2001, the Minister requested UK CEED to reconvene the panel to review the consultation paper and make sure it addresses appropriately the panel’s recommendations. The panel met over two weekends to consider its input into the consultation process and a final report detailing its views and conclusions were published by DEFRA – see below.
The Consensus Conference was a one-year public engagement project supported by the Office of Science and Technology, the Natural Environmental Research Council and Nirex.
Michael Meacher, the former Environment Secretary said of the project: ‘I congratulate UK CEED for their hard work in organising the consensus conference. [These initiatives} can help minimise the social risks associated with developing policy. We have certainly kept the recommendations of the Panel in our mind when drafting the consultation paper [and] there is no question of their report disappearing into oblivion.’
Chris Murray, Managing Director of Nirex stated that: ‘the UK CEED Consensus Conference has played a major role in the ongoing development of radioactive waste policy in the UK. I commend such participatory activities in other key policy areas.
Consensus Conference Publications
Report of the National Consensus Conference on Radioactive Waste Management
