Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Lord Offord of Garvel (Conservative). It was answered on Thursday, 27 November 2025.

Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce Review

Question: I am pleased to hear the Minister acknowledge that the Fingleton report makes it clear that government indecision and flawed legislation are largely to blame for nuclear regulatory failure. As part of this programme going forward, I think all sides of the House would agree we need to move forward expeditiously on nuclear. Can the Minister give some specific recommendations around how the Government will approach the new SMR site in Wylfa?

Answer: The noble Lord raises an important point about Wylfa. There are two aspects of this in relation to regulations. Small modular reactors are a way to ensure that we have a streamlined approach, because they will all be built in the same way and the regulation will apply to each one consistently. That in itself will speed up the process. But the first reactor will, of course, be the first and it will inevitably be a bit more complicated than the ones that follow. In terms of the application to Wales, the regulators that have UK-wide responsibilities will fall under the Fingleton review, and we will adopt the same processes. For those that have devolved accountabilities in Wales, we will discuss with Welsh Ministers and the Government.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 850 c1424
Session: 2024-26
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Radioactive waste Wylfa power station Small modular reactors Nuclear Regulatory Review
Link: View this Oral question on hansard.parliament.uk