Updated: All responses to the consultation, a short report summarising these responses and reports of events held during the consultation have been published
Technical issue with consultation email address
There are two available ‘radioactivewaste’ email addresses in use for responses to the consultation on a revised siting process for a Geological Disposal Facility: one with ‘gsi’ included and one without.
Although both addresses link through to the same mailbox, we are investigating a potential issue with email ‘bounce-backs’ from the ‘non gsi’ email address in order to ensure that we are receiving all responses.
In light of this technical issue, we will be accepting responses to the consultation until the 19th of December 2013.
If you have sent your response to the ‘non-gsi’ email address and received a bounce-back notification, please resend your submission to radioactivewaste@decc.gsi.gov.uk by the 19 December 2013.
Those who have submitted a response via the eConsultation platform are not affected by this issue.
UK government policy is that higher activity radioactive waste will be managed in the long term through geological disposal, coupled with safe and secure interim storage, and ongoing research and development to support its optimised implementation. The 2008 Managing Radioactive Waste Safely White Paper set out a framework for implementing geological disposal, through a site selection process based on the principles of voluntarism and partnership. This consultation document seeks views on proposals which aim to revise and improve the site selection process for a GDF, while maintaining an approach based on voluntarism and partnership.
Stakeholder events
Public engagement with this consultation and input to the questions asked is important - both individuals and organisations are encouraged to submit a formal response to the consultation, whether through the online response form, by email, or by post.
To support this engagement, we are holding a number of events nationally with members of the public and interested parties.
A list of the planned stakeholder events is outlined below. These events will be held throughout November and will be by invitation only:
- Penrith (National stakeholders)
- Warrington (Industry stakeholders)
- London (Local authority stakeholders)
- North Wales (National stakeholders)
- Exeter (National stakeholders)
- London (National stakeholders)
- London (Non-governmental organisations stakeholders)
In addition a number of deliberative workshops with members of the public are planned. Again, these events will by invitation only.
Q. Why are these events ‘invitation only’, and not open to anyone who wishes to attend?
A. Formal responses to the consultation document are the principal means by which the public and institutional stakeholders can comment on, and influence, government’s proposals. The events being held during the consultation period are an additional means of eliciting views on our proposals, and encouraging informed responses to the consultation from a diverse and balanced range of respondents.
In order to respond to any questions from the wider public and stakeholders DECC officials will be holding a webchat on Monday 18 November.