UK nuclear advisory group scrapped after warning of safety risks, insiders claim

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Source: The Guardian

UK nuclear advisory group scrapped after warning of safety risks, insiders claim

• Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee disbanded without any announcement
• Experts alarmed there is no immediate successor to provide independent nuclear advice

* Rob Edwards and Terry Macalister
* guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 February 2009 16.16 GMT

An expert advisory committee has been quietly scrapped after it warned the future safety of Britain's ageing nuclear plants was being put at risk by poor performance, delays and budget cuts.

The Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee (NuSAC), which has been offering critical advice to Britain's health and safety watchdog for nearly 50 years, was disbanded without any public announcement.

Former members of NuSAC are now worried about the lack of independent safety advice at a time when the government is embarking on a major expansion and clean-up of nuclear power.

Some former members privately suspect that NuSAC was shut down in October because it could have hampered government plans for a new programme of nuclear reactors. "This was just the time to get rid of a potential pest and spanner in the works of the brave new world of nuclear regulation and build," said one.

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/16/nuclear-safety

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