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The precautions taken in the design and construction of nuclear installations in the UK, and the high safety standards in their operation and maintenance, reduce to an extremely low level the risk of accidents which might affect the public. However, all nuclear operators are required to prepare, in consultation with local authorities, the police and other bodies, emergency plans for the protection of the public and their workforce, including those for dealing with an accidental release of radioactivity. These are regularly tested in exercises under the supervision of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate.
BERR co-ordinates policy at national level as lead government department on the UK's arrangements for response to any emergency with off-site effects from a licensed civil nuclear site in England and Wales. Consequently it chairs the Nuclear Emergency Planning Liaison Group (NEPLG), which brings together organisations with interests in off-site civil nuclear emergency planning. It is a forum for discussing common problems, exchanging information and experience and agreeing improvements in planning, procedures and organisation. It has issued the NEPLG Consolidated Guidance to all those involved in the development of site-specific emergency plans at local level and reviews the results of off-site exercises to ensure lessons are learned and the process of incremental improvement continues.
In the event of an emergency at a civil nuclear site in Scotland, lead Government department responsibility and the main national co-ordinating role would fall to the Scottish Parliament. BERR would still be responsible for briefing the Westminster Parliament and the UK's international partners.
Further information on BERR’s role can be found in the Health and Safety Executive Booklet "Arrangements for responding to nuclear emergencies" available from HSE Books (ISBN 0-7176-0828-X), in the NEPLG Consolidated Guidance and in the Civil Nuclear Emergency Response Factsheets, which are currently being updated and are expected to be published early 2008.
BERR also aims to ensure it is equipped and prepared to respond to the most unlikely event of an emergency at a civil nuclear site in England and Wales. So in practical terms, members of BERR's Energy Group receive briefing and training, mostly through participation in exercises, to ensure they can cope effectively in the event of any nuclear emergency. They would act in support of the main response effort which would be co-ordinated locally by the police, working in conjunction with other emergency services, expert bodies, and local and national agencies. BERR would co-ordinate the response at national level; it would brief Ministers and the UK's international partners, and be the main source of information at national level to the public and the media. These arrangements are exercised at regular intervals by all the organisations concerned.
In the event of a nuclear accident overseas which may have implications for the UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) would be the lead Government department, and would receive initial notification through arrangements established by a series of multi-lateral or bilateral Conventions, or agreements. In addition, DEFRA operates the UK's Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET) consisting of some 92 continuous radiation monitoring stations which would automatically raise an alarm if abnormal increases in the levels of radiation were detected at any of the sites. RIMNET would be used to collect, collate and disseminate radiation monitoring data from a wide number of sources which would be used as a basis for any necessary public protection measures.
