The Organizational Act of the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC), put forward by the Atomic Energy Council (AEC), was passed today at a meeting of the Executive Yuan and will be sent to the Legislative Yuan for consideration. Premier Jiang Yi-huah instructed the AEC to seek communication with legislators and relevant civil groups to reach a consensus and fast-track legislation.
"Nuclear safety is a matter of grave concern," said the premier. "Although this organizational act does not directly deal with issues pertaining to Fourth Nuclear Power Plant inspection and nuclear power safety, it is a benchmark by which the general public judges how much importance the government attaches to nuclear safety."
Under the Organizational Act of the Executive Yuan passed in 2011, the AEC was scheduled to be merged into the new Ministry of Science and Technology (MST). After over a year of discussion by the Executive Yuan, however, a decision has been reached that, instead of a merger, which would have required substantial adjustments, the AEC would become a third-tier organization directly under the supervision of the Executive Yuan. This is meant to illustrate the government's determination to safeguard nuclear safety.
Many wish to restore the AEC to a second-tier organization, but the number of second-tier ministries and commissions was capped in both the Basic Code Governing Central Administrative Agencies Organizations and the Organizational Act of the Executive Yuan, which were passed several years ago. Restoring the AEC's status, therefore, would require revision of those acts, but lawmakers lack the consensus for such action, as the general public wishes to see Executive Yuan streamline rather than expand.
As the issue of nuclear safety is high on the Executive Yuan's policy agenda, the yuan would prefer to return the AEC under its direct supervision, the premier stated, noting the Executive Yuan would respect the council's operational independence.
Jiang instructed the AEC to submit the guidelines for the establishment of the NSC preparatory office to the Executive Yuan by March 15 and advance follow-up work based on the legislative progress on reviewing various new agencies' organizational acts. Now that the AEC is off the MST's preparatory work, the premier instructed the National Science Council to revise the guideline for the establishment of the MST's preparatory office accordingly.
According to the AEC, the main points of the NSC organizational act are as follows:
1. The NSC—the competent authority on nuclear safety—is a third-tier central organization which independently exercises the powers accorded to it by law. (Article 1)
2. The NSC will be composed of five to seven members, with its chairperson and vice chairperson appointed by the premier and its other members selected by the premier to serve concurrently with their other post(s). (Article 3)
3. The NSC will hold commissioner meetings to make decisions on important issues of nuclear safety regulation. (Article 5)
4. The Radiation Detection Center will be established by the NSC as its subsidiary organization. (Article 8)