NIS is a not-for-profit, independent information service, which works to promote public awareness and foster debate on nuclear disarmament and related safety and environmental issues
Although people sometimes assume that Nuclear Information Service obtains its information about the UK's nuclear weapons from moles, spies, and insider sources, the reality is far less exciting. One of the most important routes through which we obtain information is by asking for it directly from the Ministry of Defence and other government bodies using the powers of the Freedom of Information Act.
The BASIC Trident Commission was set up almost a year ago to investigate the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons policy and the issue of Trident renewal and, better late than never, I've just got round to submitting Nuclear Information Service's evidence to the Commission.
Earlier this week I was invited to a meeting of the Birmingham Policy Commission – an initiative set up by the University of Birmingham to examine the arguments for and against nuclear power as a future energy generating technology.
How much of an issue will plans to replace the UK's Trident nuclear weapons be during the next general election campaign? Although the election is not scheduled to take place until 2015, the battlelines for the Trident debate are already being drawn.
Recently revealed information on visits to the United States of America by staff from the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) has shed a little more light on the nature of US – UK co-operation on nuclear weapons programmes.
The nuclear reactors which power the Royal Navy's fleet of submarines do not meet civilian standards of safety according to secret documents released to the Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament under the Freedom of Information Act.
Abolition 2000 brought together campaigners and analysts from both sides of the Channel this weekend at a seminar to discuss the implications of the new UK – France Defence and Security Co-operation Treaty. The Treaty commits the two nations to co-operation over defence and security issues for the next 50 years, with a separate agreement to develop joint facilities for nuclear weapons physics research.
As well as revealing the precarious state of nuclear safety at the Ministry of Defence, the recently released series of annual safety reports has also revealed some interesting insights into the UK's Trident nuclear warhead programme.
Top-level Ministry of Defence (MoD) reports from the Admirals responsible for the UK's military nuclear safety reveal that a lack of adequate and resources and suitably competent staff may place safety and the environment at risk in the medium term.
Greenpeace UK and CND have been doing some sterling work to establish how much money will be spent on the Trident replacement programme before Parliament decides whether to give the final go-ahead for the programme after the next general election.