Labour delayed start of new nuclear work

WITH reference to Caroline Flint’s article (Yorkshire Post, October 5), it’s a pity that she did not mention that the UK electricity supply industry 
has the enviable reputation of having the most reliable system in the world, despite being in private hands since the early 1990s.

Perhaps she could have also made some comments on the recent announcement that the generation surplus in the UK 
is due to fall from 14 to four 
per cent by 2015, mainly due 
not to the closure of some coal-fired plant which has been forecasted for some years, but more to do with the fact that under Tony Blair, the start of the current nuclear generation programme was delayed 
some eight years for political reasons.

For anyone associated with the power industry, all this has been common knowledge for a long time.

While many existing English nuclear sites are to be extended as part of the above programme, does she know the reason why the last Labour government 
did not include the Scottish Torness and Hunterston 
nuclear sites, especially when 
at least one of these sites (Torness) has been laid out 
for an extension since the day 
it was built?