Citation and commencement

1. —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Nuclear Safeguards (Fissionable Material and Relevant International Agreements) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.

(2) These Regulations come into force on exit day.

Fissionable material

2. —(1) The Secretary of State specifies the material, which is set out in paragraph (2), as “ fissionable material ” for the purposes of the definition of “qualifying nuclear material” set out in section 76A(6) of the Energy Act 2013 .

(2) “ Fissionable material ” means—

(a) plutonium-239;

(b) uranium-233;

(c) uranium containing the isotopes 235 or 233 or both, in an amount such that the abundance ratio of the sum of these isotopes to the isotope 238 is greater than the ratio of the isotope 235 to the isotope 238 occurring in nature; and

(d) any material containing one or more of the materials described in sub-paragraphs (a) to (c).

Relevant international agreements

3. The Secretary of State specifies each of the following agreements as a “ relevant international agreement ” for the purposes of section 112(1A) of the Energy Act 2013 —

(a) the Agreement, signed on 7th June 2018, between the United Kingdom and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the application of safeguards in the United Kingdom in connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons;

(b) the Additional Protocol, signed on 7th June 2018, between the United Kingdom and the International Atomic Energy Agency which is additional to the Agreement described in paragraph (a);

(c) the Agreement, signed on 4th May 2018, between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy;

(d) the Agreement, signed on 2nd November 2018, between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Canada for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy;

(e) the Agreement, signed on 21st August 2018, between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Australia for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy; ...

(ea) the Protocol, signed on 16th December 2020, between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Japan which amends the Agreement described in paragraph (f);

(f) the Agreement, signed on 25th February 1998, between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of Japan for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy;

(g) the EU withdrawal agreement;

(h) the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Atomic Energy Community for cooperation on the safe and peaceful uses of nuclear energy;

and any reference in paragraphs (a) to (h) to an agreement is to it as it has effect for the time being.

Review

4. —(1) The Secretary of State must from time to time—

(a) carry out a review of the regulatory provision contained in these Regulations, and

(b) publish a report setting out the conclusions of the review.

(2) The first report must be published before 1st January 2024.

(3) Subsequent reports must be published at intervals not exceeding 5 years.

(4)Section 30(3) of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 requires that a review carried out under this regulation must, so far as is reasonable, have regard to how the obligations under the Agreement with the Agency are implemented in other countries which are subject to the obligations.

(5)Section 30(4) of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 requires that a report published under this regulation must, in particular—

(a) set out the objectives intended to be achieved by the regulatory provision referred to in paragraph (1)(a);

(b) assess the extent to which those objectives are achieved;

(c) assess whether those objectives remain appropriate; and

(d) if those objectives remain appropriate, assess the extent to which they could be achieved in another way which involves less onerous regulatory provision.

(6) In this regulation, “ regulatory provision ” has the same meaning as in sections 28 to 32 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 (see section 32 of that Act).