Publication Laka-library:
Radioactive waste management. UK National Concensus Conference
| Author | Citizen's Panel Report |
| Date | May 1999 |
| Classification | 2.05.4.10/49 (UNITED KINGDOM - WASTE - NIREX/NDA DECOMMISIONING) |
| Front | 
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From the publication:
1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 What is a Consensus Conference? A Consensus Conference is a forum at which a Citizens' Panel, selected from members of the public, questions 'experts' (or 'witnesses') on a particular topic. The Panel then assesses the responses, discusses the issues raised, and reports its conclusions at a press conference. These conferences are especially suited to dealing with controversial issues of public concern at a national level, which are often perceived as being too complex or expert dominated. A distinctive feature of this approach is that the Citizens' Panel is the main actor throughout: it decides the key aspects of the debate, including the choice of questions and selection of the witnesses, and formulates its own conclusions. At the end of the conference, the Panel produces a report outlining its conclusions and recommendations, which is circulated to key-decision makers in the government and industry and to other interested parties. 1.1.1 Aims of the Consensus Conference • To contribute the views of informed citizens to the policy-making process for radioactive waste management; • to gain an appreciation of the way in which the issues are framed and prioritised by the public; • to identify key issues of concern as seen by the public and to recommend a process by which they might be examined and resolved; • to expand the availability of reliable and high quality information for the public; • to stimulate wider and better informed public debate on the issue. 1.1.2 This Consensus Conference is not: • A replacement for the normal democratic decision-making processes- it is intended to enhance the existing structures; • about making detailed technical judgements on the treatment of radioactive waste or the merits of alternative repository sites; • intended to give a view that is representative of the whole UK population; • a public relations exercise on behalf of the nuclear industry or the anti-nuclear groups. 1.1.3 Who is funding the Conference? The idea of holding a national Consensus Conference on Radioactive Waste Management in the UK originally came from within the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED). UK CEED was responsible for securing funding for the project, the majority of which is from public sources - through a Public Understanding Grant from the Office of Science and Technology and from the Natural Environment Research Council. The remainder of the funding has been provided by NIREX, the company responsible for implementing national policy on the disposal of intermediate level radioactive waste in the UK.
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