Delegation of British MPs calls on Prime Minister
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News story: Doors open at unique nuclear archive
Speaking today at the Nucleus (Nuclear and Caithness Archive) in Wick, NDA chairman Stephen Henwood, said:
Today we see a new chapter in the important role Caithness has played in the UK’s nuclear history. For many decades Dounreay was at the forefront of the development of the British, and world, nuclear industry and now Nucleus will see this knowledge protected for future generations.
NDA Chief Executive John Clarke added:
Across the UK, at over 17 sites, we have accumulated large volumes of important and valuable records, some dating back to the 1940s. Now we have Nucleus, we have ensured that this information is accessible, secure, and managed efficiently for the taxpayer.
At its peak, Dounreay employed more than 3,000 staff and brought a wide range of contracts for local businesses. By placing Nucleus in Wick, the NDA is honouring our responsibility to help offset the economic impact of closing down sites that were once major regional employers.
Located near one the UK’s earliest nuclear research sites, Dounreay in Scotland, the Nucleus archive will have a dual role: as well as housing nuclear records, the facility will contain a collection of local Scottish records that has outgrown its existing home.
An exercise lasting at least five years is now under way to collect many thousands of important plans, photographs, drawings and other records from locations across the UK for transfer to Nucleus.
The site’s records – including plans, drawings, photographs and other information – will be the first nuclear collection transferred to Nucleus from the 17 NDA sites. The Caithness collection, with records dating back to the 16th century, are already in place.
Up to 26 km of shelving has been installed in a series of secure pods to take the material and ensure it is preserved. Nucleus will employ a staff of approximately 20 including archivists, preservation experts and support staff.
An operation has already been under way for a number of years to retrieve, collate and organise the huge quantities of records that are currently stored at or near individual sites.
It is hoped that, during 2017, Nucleus will be granted Place of Deposit status by The National Archive at Kew.
Once achieved, it will become one of the largest accredited repositories outside London.
An official opening ceremony will take place later in the year.
Archive material will be catalogued, indexed and stored in a carefully controlled environment, with humidity and temperature kept stable to minimise the potential for deterioration.
Old decaying documents will be transferred to archive-quality paper by on-site preservation specialists, and digitised for improved accessibility.
It is anticipated that interest in the nuclear material will be overwhelmingly from academics, regulators, journalists, industry representatives and all other researchers. The information will be provided digitally, wherever possible, avoiding risks of damage to the original material.
The triangular single-storey building has a large public area, including a reading room and community space for exhibitions, study or training.
The archive will also fulfil an important role for the future geological disposal facility (GDF) that is being developed for the UK, acting as a central repository for detailed waste records that must be safeguarded for many generations.
Discussions are also under way with the wider nuclear industry, including the Ministry of Defence, new build developers and operators of the UK’s current nuclear power stations, to potentially consolidate their records at Nucleus.
Nucleus Archive – video showing construction progress
Case study: NDA archive: Nucleus (the Nuclear and Caithness Archives)
read moreNews story: Doors open at unique nuclear archive
A unique new archive, funded by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, has today opened its doors to the public for the first time, bringing together historical nuclear records from all over the UK. read more
£104 million to heat Wales’ most vulnerable households
The Welsh Government Warm Homes programme, which includes Nest and Arbed, provides funding for home energy efficiency improvements to low income households and those living in deprived communities across Wales.
The £104 million funding includes £32 million of the additional £40 million funding announced in the Final Budget last month. The remaining £8 million will be invested in other green growth initiatives.
The Welsh Government funding will also lever in around £24million of European funding, in addition to Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding.
The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, announced the funding during a visit to Trowbridge to see how households have benefited from previous Arbed funding.
Cardiff County Council were recently successful in receiving further Arbed grant funding and take up has been extremely positive, with over 75% of residents signing up for a survey within two weeks of applications opening.
There are now over 300 homes in the area involved in the Arbed scheme, with a further 100 planned over the next few months.
The Cabinet Secretary said:
Mr and Mrs Foley, who received external wall insulation in Phase 2 of the Trowbridge energy efficiency scheme, said“During the winter months how to keep warm while also meeting high energy bills is a very real concern for many low income households across Wales. I am therefore delighted we are committing £104million to our Warm Homes programme over the next four years.
“The Warm Homes Programme aims to make improvements to homes, such as boiler and heating upgrades and applying loft insulation, to increase energy efficiency, reduce household bills and in turn reduce energy use and climate change.
“There is also an emphasis on using the local supply chain to make these changes, creating jobs, developing skills and boosting the local economy.”
read more“Not only does our home look lovely, but we have made over £200 worth of energy savings in just 6 months! The energy advice we have been given has been so helpful. Simple tips for everyday life. We are so grateful for the scheme.”
It is now clear that the Government is unwilling to commit the necessary resources to our nation’s defences – Griffith
Nia Griffith MP, Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, responding to the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Military Balance report, said:
“This report exposes the Government’s complete and shocking failure to maintain its commitment on defence spending to our Armed Forces and to the country.
“Just weeks after the Prime Minister was lecturing our allies about increasing spending to meet the 2 percent NATO commitment, it is now clear that her Government is unwilling to commit the necessary resources to our nation’s defences.
“As the Defence Select Committee has shown, the MoD was already barely scrapping over the 2 percent mark and had changed its accounting methods to give the illusion of keeping the commitment. To be spending less than 2 percent of GDP on defence is utterly unacceptable, particularly in this time of immense global uncertainty.
“Labour is committed to spending at least 2 percent of our GDP on defence spending, as we consistently did when in government.”
ENDS
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