The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has today published its Corporate Plan for 2023/24.
The plan was laid in Parliament by the Department for Work and Pensions – ONR’s government sponsorship body - as a legal requirement of the Energy Act.
The plan sets out how ONR will implement effective, consistent and enabling regulation and influence proportionate improvements in the nuclear industry to ensure worker and public safety.
It emphasises ONR's continuing commitment to safety, security and nuclear material accountancy and control, and its readiness to respond to the changing nuclear landscape it regulates, including the significant ambition for defence and civil nuclear sectors and the potential mix of technologies this is likely to involve.
The report details ONR's five priorities for 2023/24, which it is committed to delivering. They are:
- Drive demonstrable improvements at sites that are in significantly enhanced or enhanced attention and influence long-term improvements for the CNI report themes;
- Streamline how it works across all its functions to become more efficient and create increased capacity to respond to future demands;
- Influence a joined-up industry-wide approach to building and sustaining a resilient and capable workforce for the future, with the capacity to deliver future programmes safely, securely and effectively;
- Begin to implement the recommendations arising from the Organisational Review project to ensure ONR is fit for the future, improving the effectiveness of its organisational structure and assuring fairness in its pay and grading; and
- Further embed a supportive, fair and inclusive culture where people are empowered to deliver at pace to honour its commitments.
In line with ONR’s Strategy 2020-25, the next 12 months will see the organisation focus on maintaining trust and confidence in its regulation as the British Energy Security Strategy and Great British Nuclear seek to accelerate investment in new nuclear and the deployment of Small Modular Reactor technologies.
ONR will continue to modernise during the year as it embeds its Well-Informed Regulatory Decisions (WIReD) project, digitising and automating manually intensive activities to allow better knowledge management and more effective and consistent navigation of regulatory processes.
ONR will also remain agile and resilient, while strengthening its relationships with key stakeholders to inform, influence, and jointly shape future strategies and plans.
Mark Foy, ONR’s Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector, said: “I’m pleased to announce that we have published our annual Corporate Plan for 2023/24.
“The plan clearly sets out how we will deliver our mission to protect society by securing safe nuclear operations.
"We are committed to maximising our efforts to evolve into an increasingly efficient, modern, transparent regulator, delivering trusted outcomes and value for money.
"ONR is determined to be exemplary and world-leading in our regulation, as we continue to build, retain and enhance public trust."