Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress her Department has made on identifying a site for the geological disposal facility for nuclear waste.

In the 2014 Implementing Geological Disposal White Paper [1] Government set out three initial actions which will provide greater clarity on issues such as geology, development impacts and community representation.

Government and Radioactive Waste Management (the developer of a Geological Disposal Facility) are making good progress delivering these initial actions in the short term, with a clear long term goal of delivering safe and secure final disposal of all our radioactive waste.

Formal engagement between the developer and potential host communities will start in due course once the Government and Radioactive Waste Management have delivered these initial actions.

[1] Further information about the initial actions is in the 2014 Geological Disposal White paper: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/332890/GDF_White_Paper_FINAL.pdf