Professor William Reville:

At the moment the Radiological Protection Institute has direct access to the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and advises the Government directly on all matters to do with radiation. From time to time, some of those issues are controversial matters that have a high emotional impact with the public. I refer, for example, to the accident at Chernobyl and the fallout that arrived in this country a week later. More recently there was the accident at Fukushima and the fallout that came here. On an ongoing basis we have the UK nuclear industry and possible accidents and events happening there. The public is very interested and concerned about those matters.

At the moment the RPII reports directly to the Government on such matters and gives independent scientific advice. That is recognised and we have a high level of trust with the public which was built up slowly and patiently over the years. It was not always there. If the new merged situation obtains, the office of radiological protection, ORP, will not have direct access to the Government. It will be an office within the EPA. The EPA is a much bigger organisation than the RPII with many other considerations and irons in the fire. I do not mean to suggest anything ominous but whatever advice comes from the ORP in the new EPA will be filtered before it goes to Government. There could well be considerations and modifications. All sorts of different pressures could come to bear in the bigger organisation that do not obtain at the moment within the single, independent Radiological Protection Institute. It would not necessarily be the case that the Government would get the same quality and independence of advice in the new merged situation.