Summary and Background
583.This element of the Act and paragraph 21 of Schedule 5 propose minor legislative changes to ensure that the civil nuclear security regulator, the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), is able to carry out its functions effectively. The proposed changes update the legislation to reflect recent changes in the nuclear sector. Those recent changes are:
The use of subcontracting following restructuring of the nuclear industry, made possible by the Energy Act 2004; and,
the administrative transfer in April 2007 of the OCNS to the Health and Safety Executive to sit alongside the civil nuclear safety regulator, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII).
584.The amendments in this element of the Act will ensure there are sufficiently serious sanctions available for those attempting to steal sensitive nuclear information. Minor and consequential amendments also re-establish the OCNS’s ability to gain access to Civil Nuclear Police Authority premises following its transfer from the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform to the Health and Safety Executive.