Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000

Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000[a]
Act of Parliament
coat of arms
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long titleAn Act to enable effect to be given to the protocol signed at Vienna on 22nd September 1998 additional to the agreement for the application of safeguards in the United Kingdom in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons; to allow effect to be given to that agreement in certain territories outside the United Kingdom; and for connected purposes.
Citation2000 c. 5
Introduced bySecond Reading 4 October 2000, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Dr. Kim Howells (Commons)
Territorial extent 
[e]
Dates
Royal assent25 May 2000
Commencementvarious[f]
Other legislation
Amends
Amended by
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
Text of the Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000 (c. 5) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning nuclear regulation.[1][2]

Background

Prior to the Gulf war Iraq had been undertaking a secret nuclear weapons programme, despite having a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.[3] It was therefore thought appropriate to strengthen the international nuclear safeguards system by allowing the agency rights of access to nuclear facilities. These new powers were enacted by the provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of 22 September 1998.[3]

Provisions

The act gives the UK Government the power to provide a strengthened nuclear safeguards system in the United Kingdom. It provides an additional protocol to the nuclear safeguards agreement with the European Atomic Energy Community and the International Atomic Energy Agency.[3][4] This protocol was to the 1998 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.[5][6]

The act comprises 12 sections:[7]

  • Section 1. Interpretation.
  • Section 2. Information and records for purposes of the Additional Protocol.
  • Section 3. Identifying persons who have information.
  • Section 4. Powers of entry in relation to Additional Protocol information.
  • Section 5. Rights of access etc. for Agency inspectors.
  • Section 6. Restriction on disclosure.
  • Section 7. Giving false or misleading information.
  • Section 8. Power to search and obtain evidence.
  • Section 9. Penalty for offences and offences by bodies corporate.
  • Section 10. Service of notices.
  • Section 11. Minor and consequential amendments.
  • Section 12. Short title etc.

Commencement

The act came into force in 2004.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Section 12(1).
  2. ↑ The Nuclear Safeguards (Jersey) Order 2004 (SI 2004/1288).
  3. ↑ The Nuclear Safeguards (Isle of Man) Order 2004 (SI 2004/1289).
  4. ↑ The Nuclear Safeguards (Guernsey) Order 2004 (SI 2004/1290).
  5. ↑ Section 12(4)–(5).
  6. ↑ Section 12(2)–(3).

References

  1. ↑ Feikert-Ahalt, Clare (February 2022). "Legal Framework for Nuclear: Technology and Information" (PDF). Library of Congress. p. 25. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  2. ↑ Birkinshaw, Patrick (2013). "The Nuclear Industry in the UK". OGEL Energy Law Journal. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Hansard Commons 4 October 2000". Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  4. 1 2 Berkemeier, Molly; Bowen, Wyn Q.; Hobbs, Christopher; Moran, Matthew (2014). Domestic nuclear legislation, regulation and implementation (Report). Danish Institute for International Studies. pp. 24–33.
  5. ↑ Sneddon, S. (2010). Nuclear unclear: an investigation of British nuclear power policy, 1945-2005 (PDF) (PhD thesis). University of Northampton. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
  6. ↑ Rostron, Jack (4 March 2013). Environmental Law for The Built Environment (0 ed.). Routledge-Cavendish. doi:10.4324/9781843140825. ISBN 978-1-135-34078-0.
  7. ↑ "Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000". Retrieved 30 August 2024.
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