From P. M. Allen, British Geological Survey
Nottingham
The British Geological Survey is a public sector research establishment which
acts in the national interest
(Letters, 19 July, p 53). Nirex has never placed
any constraints of confidentiality on research we have carried out for them. All
results of the BGS research were available to the public inquiry in published or
unpublished (but accessible) reports.
It is because of our impartiality that we could not take part in the inquiry
in the way David Smythe suggests. It is not our function to formulate policy or
to take sides in a dispute. Our role is to carry out research and present the
results in an impartial manner. This way, the results of the BGS’s research are
available equally to both sides in a dispute.
There are no circumstances in which a BGS staff member would have taken part
in a public inquiry, “to point out the misrepresentation of the geological
understanding of the area as presented by Nirex”, to quote Smythe.
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This same philosophy explains why there is no conflict of interest when BGS,
as a public body, carries out commercial contracts such as those for Nirex. By
carrying out such contracts, BGS establishes itself at the cutting edge of
radioactive waste research, building up expertise which can then be more widely
used in the public interest.
