All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy (APPGNE) was set up in February 2003 to "to encourage and facilitate discussion among MPs and Peers from across the political spectrum with an interest in nuclear issues, and to provide a forum for the exchange of information and views between parliamentarians and representatives of the nuclear and energy industries."

It exists "to provide a broad level of information and briefings for parliamentarians about the commercial nuclear industry in Britain and overseas, and to enable discussion about all aspects of nuclear energy."

The equivalent body in the Scottish parliament is the Cross Party Group on the Civil Nuclear Industry.

Laying the foundations for nuclear power

In a speech to the Nuclear Industry Association's Annual Conference in December 2004, the ex-Chair of the APPGNE Bill Tynan (Labour MP for Hamilton South), said: "The All Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy, which I chair, will do all we can to persuade the Government of the need for a nuclear component. If we are serious about keeping open the nuclear option, we must lay the foundations now. This can only happen if we have the political will to do so."

The Administrator in 2007 was Linda Smith, a public affairs officer with British Energy who took over from Ms Miranda Kirschel, who was Corporate Affairs Manager at the Nuclear Industry Association, but now works for CH2M Hill, although the Parliamentary register of All Party Groups says the "Nuclear Industry Association provides administrative assistance (booking meeting rooms, organising events and trips, sending out invitations to meetings, writing minutes)." The Nuclear Industry Association also registered the Group's website. [2]

Activities

Work of the APPGNE

The group's submission to the UK Government consultation on Nuclear Energy which ended on 10 October 2007 said it believes that unless we embrace nuclear energy we could fail future generations. "We believe," the submission said, "there has to be a balanced energy policy including nuclear. If the lights are to stay on and we are to protect our citizens then nuclear must be acknowledged as a core source of energy ... We are concerned that the elected Government listen more to the unelected environmental groups who have no responsibility and would not be criticised nor held accountable in the event of a shortage or disruption to our energy supply."

Jackboot Democracy?

APPGNE wants to curtail public scrutiny of proposed new reactors at public inquiries because "we cannot allow opponents of new nuclear build to draw out the planning and regulatory process. We need to build nuclear power plants as a matter of urgency."

And with complete disregard for the proliferation implications of separating yet more plutonium from spent nuclear waste fuel, APPGNE's submission says: "To reject the opportunity to reprocess spent fuel would be unacceptable and a major mistake."

Parliamentary Platform for Reactor Builders

APPGNE's meeting in November 2007 heard from Brian Cothran Vice-President, Europe, of GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy, which has submitted its Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor(ESBWR) design to the UK nuclear regulators' generic design assessment (GDA) process.

The group also heard from Lord Martin O'Neill, Chairman of the Nuclear Industry Association, former Labour chair of the House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee. Earlier in 2007 it received presentations from Westinghouse, and British Energy, EDF Energy and Eon UK.

People

2011-2012

• Chair - John Robertson -Lab
• Vice-chair Stephen Mosley - Con
• Vice-chair Ian Liddell-Grainger - Con
• Treasurer Fiona O'Donnell -Lab
• Michael Connarty -Lab

Officers

• Chair: John Robertson MP (Lab)
• Vice Chair: Lord Christopher (Lab)
• Vice Chair: Lord Jenkin of Roding (Con)
• Vice Chair: Lord McNally (LD)
• Vice Chair: Robert Goodwill MP (Con)
• Vice Chair: Adam Ingram MP (Lab)
• Secretary: Michael Connarty MP (Lab)
• Assistant Secretary: David Drew MP (Lab)
• Treasurer: Jimmy Hood MP (Lab)

The registered members in 2007 of the group were:

• The Earl Attlee;
• Peter Bottomley MP;
• The Lord Christopher;
• Tony Cunningham MP;
• Lord Dubs;
• Lord Evans of Parkside;
• Lord Flowers;
• The Rt Hon the Lord Gray of Contin;
• Tom Harris MP;
• David Heathcoat-Amory MP;
• Jimmy Hood MP;
• Baroness Howe of Idlicote;
• Brian Iddon MP;
• Adam Ingram MP;
• Lord Jenkin of Roding;
• Robert Key MP;
• Lord Lea;
• Lord Macdonald of Tradeston;
• Lord Marlesford;
• Lord McNally;
• Andrew Miller MP;
• Lord Moynihan;
• Bill Olner MP;
• Lord O'Neill;
• Richard Ottaway MP;
• John Robertson MP;
• Laurence Robertson MP;
• John F Spellar MP;
• Bob Spink MP;
• Lord Tombs;
• Rudi Vis MP;
• Lord Wakeham;
• Lord Walker of Worcester;
• Dave Watts MP;
• John Whittingdale MP;

Resources

• All-Party Parliamentary Group
• Nuclear Industry Association

External links

• All Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy website - this does not appear to have been updated since 2009
• "Register of All-Party Groups", United Kingdom Parliament. (List dated 21 December 2005.)
• Sam Coates, "How business pays for a say in Parliament: All-party groups accused of compromising independence; Lobbyists write controversial reports in the name of MPs", The Times (UK), 13 January, 2006.