Latest from Legs and Regs Interna onal Standards- The Post Brexit Era
Laura Butchins is Chair of SRP ' s Legislation & Standards Committee and is a Principal Inspector at the Office for Nuclear Regulation.
Prior to Brexit, the EU Basic Safety Standards Directive 2013( BSSD) was transposed into a wide range of UK legislation including IRR17 and Ionising Radiation( Basic Safety Standards)( Miscellaneous Provisions) 2018, IR( ME) R17, IR( ME) R NI 18, EPR16, REPPIR19, JoPIIR 2018 amendment and more. SRP and many of its members influenced the implementation of BSSD, with wide-ranging views put forward at a meeting held in December 2016. As this followed the 2016 Brexit referendum, members were aware that this would be the last time EU standards would directly influence UK standards.
Following Brexit, HM Government published ' How we regulate radiological and civil nuclear safety in the UK ' which describes the UK regulatory framework for all aspects of radiological and civil nuclear safety across the UK. The document affirmed the position to continue aligning with international safety standards, highlighting the International Atomic Energy Agency( IAEA) and the International Commission on Radiological Protection( ICRP) safety standards and in particular stating that the UK actively contributes to these and adopts them into its laws, regulations and guidance.
To demonstrate UK commitment to adopting IAEA standards, HM Government invited the 2019 Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission and the 2024 follow-up mission to review the UK ' s framework for nuclear and radiological safety. It concluded the UK is committed to strengthening its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety, and areas were identified that would benefit from further enhancement.
EPR16
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The Environmental Permitting( England and Wales) Regulations 2016( as amended)
The UK is signatory to a number of international treaties that place legally binding obligations on contracting parties including: The Convention on Nuclear Safety, The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic( OSPAR) and the IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety and Security of Radioactive Sources, and publishes regular reports on UK compliance.
UK representatives are active in a wide range of other international bodies. In some cases, like ICRP, individuals are appointed to committees as experts in their own right. Where representation is of the UK, participation is coordinated by the UK Government and the devolved administrations. This oversight, in consultation with regulators, experts and industry bodies controls if, when and how international standards are implemented across the UK.
Some international organisations are shown overleaf, with a description of the scope of activities.
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