Where we are
On the 20th January 2011 the Scottish Government published Scotland's Higher Activity Radioactive Waste Policy 2011 and a Policy Statement was made in the Scottish Parliament by Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment.
Three documents were published:
Scotland's Higher Activity Radioactive Waste Policy 2011
The Scottish Government Policy is that the long-term management of higher activity radioactive waste should be in near-surface facilities. Facilities should be located as near to the site where the waste is produced as possible. Developers will need to demonstrate how the facilities will be monitored and how waste packages, or waste, could be retrieved.
All long-term waste management options will be subject to robust regulatory requirements. The Policy is not prescriptive in its approach, recognising that it applies to Waste which may not be produced for decades and for which long-term management options may not be feasible at present or have yet to be developed.
Further information and the full Policy document.
Scotland's Higher Activity Radioactive Waste Policy: Post-Adoption Strategic Environmental Assessment Statement 2011 
The Scottish Government undertook a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of its Detailed Statement of Policy.
SEA is a way of examining plans and policies as they develop, to identify any significant effects that they may have on the environment. It ensures that environmental considerations are taken into account within Policy making, and that decisions which could affect the environment are made in a transparent way. SEA also aims to build in mitigation measures, to avoid or minimise any potentially significant adverse effects of the plan on the environment, and establish a framework for monitoring effects as implementation progresses.
Further information and the full Post-Adoption statement.
Scotland's Higher Activity Radioactive Waste Policy: Summary of Comments and Scottish Government Response 2011 
The Scottish Government conducted a public consultation on its draft Detailed Statement of Policy for Scotland's Higher Activity Radioactive Waste and the Environmental Report on the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Policy.
These documents were published on 15 January 2010 along with a Supplementary Information document providing additional factual information to assist consultees.
This report only contains a summary of the responses to the 21 questions contained in the main Consultation Document. A complete record of all the responses received by The Scottish Government is available.
Further information and the full Response document.