SRP2(03) - Press release

Embargoed until 00.01 Thursday 16 October 2003

Public Attitudes to Radioactive Waste Transport

So, why are the public so ill informed about many of the issues surrounding the transport of radioactive materials and why is there such concern when there are strict safety regulations in the UK? How does this affect decisions made about future movements of spent nuclear fuel and decommissioning waste? The answers to these questions are now becoming clearer but they are not going to solve the nuclear industry's image problems, or bring overnight acceptance of nuclear waste transport.

In a talk presented at the Society for Radiological Protection's 'Transport Issues' meeting today (Thursday 16 October 2003) David Collier, Director of Faulkland Associates, an Oxford-based consultancy specialising in stakeholder engagement programmes and pressure group issues, said that trust remains the key. Research typically shows that, at best, a third of the British population trust the organisations involved in radioactive waste transport to be reliable and honest, although almost everybody questioned has faith in academic scientists.

There is little prospect of this changing in the short term, so if people cannot be persuaded to trust the Government and the nuclear industry, a decision-making process has to be devised that can nevertheless deliver a trusted outcome.  Inevitably this means much greater transparency and participation by the people potentially affected.  The success of recent work with the community at Dounreay shows what can be done (2).

Also, where communities do not trust the information they are being given, ways have to be found to agree on the facts.  Jointly commissioned independent research is one option.  The work carried out by The Environment Council in response to residents' concerns about radioactive waste trains in the sidings at Cricklewood is a good example (3).

For the future, David Collier sees public engagement continuing to increase. "The only way forward is to get stakeholders involved in the decision making process. I hope the Government and industry will take this on board, and then we can make significant progress. The commitments to extensive stakeholder involvement made by DEFRA and the DTI in respect of radioactive
waste disposal and site decommissioning are welcome, but the test will come if the answers they get are not the ones they want to hear."

He also warned the industry against thinking that there were any easy answers.

"At one time we used to think we could gain public acceptance for nuclear power if only we could get across the true facts, but this didn't work. Then we looked to better risk communication and more extensive consultation - but neither made any significant difference to people's attitudes, or did much to improve trust in the industry.  Although stakeholder engagement looks promising, we should not expect it to deliver miracles either."

(1) See, for example, Public attitudes to the future management of radioactive waste in the UK: A report by The FutureFoundation for Nirex. February 2002. The Nirex web site is at http://www.nirex.co.uk.

(2) The nuclear reactors at the Douneray site are now closed and being decommissioned. The UKAEA (United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority) is committed to consulting with stakeholders to ensure that Dounreay's environment is restored in a way that is safe, efficient and publicly acceptable. See http://www.ukaea.org.uk/dounreay/dsrpnews.htm.

(3) In this case, stakeholders including BNFL (British Nuclear Fuels), environment and local groups jointly commissioned a study. See the  case study on The Environment Council's web site at http://www.the-environment-council.org.uk/templates/mn_template.asp?id=212

Notes for editors
This talk entitled 'Public Attitudes to Radioactive Waste Transport' by David Collier, Director of Faulkland Associates, will be given at 2.30pm on the 16th October at the Society for Radiological Protection's one-day 'Transport Issues' meeting. David Collier can be contacted on tel. +44 (0)1865 487159, fax. +44(0)7031 159858, mobile +44 (0)7973 683850. Faulkland Associates is an Oxford-based consultancy which specialises in evaluating stakeholder engagement programmes and advising clients on pressure group issues.

Accredited journalists are welcome to free registration to attend this meeting. The Institute of Physics' Press Office is handling media arrangements for this meeting. Please contact Michelle Cain at the Institute tel. +44 (0)20 7470 4869, fax. +44 (0)20 7470 4991, email: michelle.cain@iop.org if you would like to attend, or if you would like a full programme.

Further information can be found on the Society for Radiological Protection's Web page at www.srp-uk.org.

During the meeting itself please contact the Society's media representative, Tessa Harris, who will be available between 8.00am and 5.00pm on mobile 0798 5779751.

The Society for Radiological Protection was founded in 1963, the Society now has nearly 2000 members, including International members, and is the leading Scientific Society in the UK for all who are professionally concerned with safety aspects of uses of ionising and non-ionising radiation in education, central and local government, industry, medicine and research. The Society has the following objectives :-

• to promote and advance the science of radiological protection and allied fields;
• to promote, advance and disseminate to the public advantage, knowledge of radiological protection and allied fields;
• to encourage, support, promote and advance education and learning in radiological protection and allied fields;
• to promote and encourage high scientific, educational, regulatory and professional standards in radiological protection and allied fields.

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