Ministers told to ‘stop pussyfooting around' and end nuclear block in Scotland
UK ministers have been told to 'stop pussyfooting around' and work to end the block on nuclear power from the Scottish Government.
While Scotland has a long history of electricity generation from nuclear, its sole remaining nuclear power station is at Torness, where operations have been extended to 2030.
The Scottish Government is against the building of any new nuclear power plants.
Scottish Labour peer Lord Foulkes of Cumnock told the House of Lords earlier this week that, while he respects the role of the the executive in Holyrood, it is time to end the blockers.
He said on Tuesday: 'Surely now is the time to stop pussyfooting around when the Scottish Government say that they are quite willing to accept, in the future, electricity generated by nuclear in England?
'Given that energy is a reserved area, surely we should look at ways of stopping the blockers in Scotland, as well as in the rest of the United Kingdom.'
Former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean added: 'Power devolved is power retained.
'If the Scottish Government are not acting in the interests of the United Kingdom, with their opposition to nuclear power and to oil and gas, that will create great difficulties for the rest of the United Kingdom.
'Has the minister considered taking back the power from them to prevent the appropriate infrastructure needs of the country as a whole?'
Energy minister Lord Hunt of King's Heath said: 'In Scotland, nationally significant infrastructure projects, including nuclear, are broadly reserved.
'However, Scottish ministers have devolved executive competence for planning decisions for improving applications to build, operate or modify electricity-generating stations with capacities exceeding 50 megawatts in Scotland. We are not in a position to make a change to that.'
He added: 'I do not think it is the case that we should reopen the devolution settlement…
'I think it is clear that, overall, new nuclear has a huge role to play in the baseload that it can provide and in clean power.
'The move towards the final investment decision on Sizewell, progress on Hinkley Point C, the SMR programme and the potential of advanced modular reactors will give us a hugely important foundation for clean power for Great Britain as a whole.'
Former MSP Baroness Curran told peers: 'I speak as a former planning minister in the Scottish Government. The best way to address this case is not more conflict with the Scottish Government, but promoting the argument for nuclear power in a positive way.'
She added that if Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar becomes first minister, the party will be able to 'resolve this problem'.
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