Nuclear Installations Act 1965

18 General cover for compensation by virtue of ss. 7 to 10

(1) In the case of any occurrence in respect of which one or more persons incur liability by virtue of section 7, 8, 9 or 10 of this Act or by virtue of any relevant foreign law made for purposes corresponding to those of any of those sections, but subject to subsections (2) and (3) of this section and to sections 17(3)(b) and 21(1) of this Act, there shall be made available out of moneys provided by Parliament such sums as, when aggregated—

(a) with any funds required by, or by any relevant foreign law made for purposes corresponding to those of, section 19(1) of this Act to be available for the purpose of satisfying claims in respect of that occurrence against any licensee or relevant foreign operator; and

(b) in the case of a claim by virtue of any such foreign law, with any relevant foreign contributions towards the satisfaction of claims in respect of that occurrence,

may be necessary to ensure that all claims in respect of that occurrence made within the relevant period and duly established, excluding, but without prejudice to, any claim in respect of interest or costs, are satisfied up to an aggregate amount of forty-three million pounds.

(2) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to any claim by virtue of such a relevant foreign law as is mentioned in that subsection in respect of injury or damage incurred within the territorial limits of a country which is not a relevant territory or to any claim such as is mentioned in section 15(2) of this Act which is not made within the period of twenty years so mentioned.

(3) Where any claim such as is mentioned in subsection (1) of this section is satisfied wholly or partly out of moneys provided by Parliament under that subsection, there shall also be made available out of moneys so provided such sums as are necessary to ensure the satisfaction of any claim in respect of interest or costs in connection with the first-mentioned claim.

(4) In relation to liability by virtue of any relevant foreign law—

(a) there shall be left out of account for the purposes of subsection (1) of this section any claim which, though made within the relevant period, was made after the expiration of any period of limitation imposed by that law and permitted by a relevant international agreement;

(b) unless that law provides a maximum aggregate amount of compensation in respect of the occurrence in question equivalent to forty-three million pounds and so provides in pursuance of a relevant international agreement, the said subsection (1) shall have effect in relation to that occurrence as if for the reference to forty-three million pounds there were substituted a reference to five million pounds.

(5) Any sums received by the Minister by way of a relevant foreign contribution towards the satisfaction of any claim by virtue of section 7, 8, 9 or 10 of this Act shall be paid into the Exchequer.

(6) In this section, the expression " the relevant period " has the same meaning as in section 16 of this Act