Foreword from the Chair

In this, my first statement as newly elected chair of Dounreay Stakeholder Group (DSG), I would like to thank members for their nomination and support. I have been an active member of the DSG for many years following my retirement from the nuclear industry. Since 2019 I have been chair of the Socio Economic subgroup and served as vice chair of the DSG since 2020. I would like to think that I have served an apprenticeship that will be beneficial in my role as chair.

I would like to place on record my thanks to former chair Councillor Struan Mackie for his tenure over the last six years. I would also like to thank the secretariat both previous and new members for their support to DSG over the years. The DSG have also appointed two new chairs to lead the subgroups. The Socio Economic subgroup will be led by Gillian Coghill and Site Restoration subgroup will be under the leadership of Alan Scott. I am delighted to welcome Gillian and Alan to their respective roles, and they will be valued members of DSG business group.

The DSG acts as the main community interface between site operator: Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The group remit also covers operations on the Vulcan MOD site. It has become apparent that although the DSG has been constituted for over twenty years, the community at large and even employees on site have not heard of or are unaware of the group’s activities and role. During this term of office my colleagues and I would like to ensure that the profile of DSG is raised within the community. This will allow individual members of the public and site staff to have a point of contact to raise any questions or concerns relating to decommissioning activities and therefore to continue the longstanding invaluable contribution that our local community has made to the operation of the Dounreay site.

Davie Alexander