Nirex

Sexing up Nukes

Nirex have been accuse of "sexing up" their report on nuclear dumping, according to the Guardian, [1], who had obtained a leaked copy of an Environment Agency dpocument sent to Ministers. It concluded that "Nirex present an overly optimistic view," of dumping. Nirex presented arguments in which the agency says: "The positive arguments are given prominence and corresponding negative arguments are not examined." According the to the Guardian Chief among the concerns is that the proposed concrete and steel containers used to bury waste could leak within 500 years. Despite that, the agency says the report has not identified any "major" issues that would scupper such an underground store and declares the concept "viable".

Nuclear Spinners Working for Nirex

The Following PR Companies have provided PR advice to Nirex since 2003:

Promise PR - To provide Professional Consultancy regarding a posssible changbe in company name - £45,000

Kingsmead Communications Limited - To provide professsional consultancy and support in the area of media relations and corporate communications - £25,000

Fleishman Hillard - (formerly GPC) - To provide corporate communications advice in relation to the Scottish Parliament - £129,900

Fleishman Hillard - To provide corporate communications advice in relation to the European Parliament - £53,200

Connect - To provide corporate communications advice in relation to Westminster and the National Assembly for Wales - £72,200

Bell Pottinger - To provide commmunications advice related to the Nirex pension fund - £24,000

International Future Forum - Praxis Limited - To provide Corporate Communications advice in relation to the Managing Radiactive Waste Safelyu (MRWS) consultation programme - £32,000

ForthRoad Limited - To help facilitate external events - £29,000

Facilitating Change Limited - To help facilitate external events - £14,800

The Future Foundation - To help facilitate external evetns and to help draft corporate communications materials - £31,500

ERM - To undertake an asssement of stakeholder views of Nirex - £32,600

MORI - To undertake a public opinion survey - £30,000 - due to be repeated in 2005/06

Women's Insitute - To participate in a workshop to discuss radiactive waste management - £5,000

[Ref: D. Wild (2005) Freedom of Information Request, Letter to Jean McSorley, Senior Advisor to Greenpeace UK, 15 July]