This House of Lords Library Briefing has been prepared in advance of the debate to take place on 6 September 2018 in the House of Lords on the motion moved by Lord Henley (Conservative), “that the Grand Committee takes note of the draft National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal Infrastructure: A Framework Document for Planning Decisions on Nationally Significant Infrastructure”.
Draft National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal Infrastructure (182KB PDF)
The Draft National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal Infrastructure was published on 25 January 2018. It formed part of a public consultation on the construction of facilities to dispose of higher activity radioactive waste. Geological disposal refers to the planned removal of solid radioactive waste into a network of vaults and tunnels deep under the ground or seabed. The proposed network is termed a geological disposal facility (GDF) and would be situated at a depth of 200 to 1,000 metres. The infrastructure required for such a project refers not only to the facility itself, but also to borehole drilling investigations necessary to characterise the geology at a particular location in order to ascertain its suitability as a potential site for a GDF. In a press release announcing the consultation, the Government linked the construction of a GDF to its industrial strategy, claiming that it “will create up to 2,000 well-paid, skilled jobs and bring at least £8 billion to the UK economy over the lifetime of the facility”.
The draft national policy statement (NPS) concerns the overarching process of considering applications for development consent for the construction of geological disposal facilities. Identifying a particular site in which to construct such a facility is subject to a separate process. This was the subject of a consultation, Working With Communities: Implementing Geological Disposal, which ran concurrently with the NPS consultation. Development consent for radioactive waste management facilities is a devolved issue, therefore the draft NPS relates to England only. However, according to the NPS, as a national policy the Government has a “strong preference” to manage the disposal of the UK’s inventory of radioactive waste in one geological disposal facility. If this is deemed impossible “it cannot be ruled out that more than one such facility” may be required.
Draft National Policy Statement for Geological Disposal Infrastructure (182KB PDF)
The Nature’s Rights Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party). The bill would recognise nature as a legal subject, granting it specific rights for protection and restoration. The bill would set out a legal framework for how this would operate, including an integrated rights framework and mechanisms for how nature’s rights would be implemented and enforced.
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Rural areas contribute a significant proportion of England’s economic output. The government has announced several policies intended to support growth in the rural economy, including farming. However, it has faced criticism for the delay in outlining its overall strategy for the agricultural sector. This briefing provides data on the rural economy and summarises government policy and stakeholder reaction
In recent years, electricity prices for both households and businesses have seen significant increases. This briefing sets out how electricity bills are calculated, how much on average they cost and how they compare internationally. It also provides commentary on why prices have been so high and gives an overview of government policy in this area.
