nuclear-news

Concern in UK over nuclear regulator paid through private company

Nuclear regulator paid through private firm will not have contract renewed Paul Brown’s friends accuse ministers of panicking after revelations about Student Loans boss’s tax arrangements Rajeev Syal guardian.co.uk,  24 February 2012  One of Britain’s leading nuclear regulators will not have his contract renewed after he was identified as receiving payment through a private company rather than the staff payroll.

Paul Brown is the chief operating officer of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and was a senior director at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)…. The ONR, an agency of the HSE, is responsible for the regulation of the UK’s nuclear sector. It must also oversee new safeguards being drawn up after the Fukushima meltdown triggered by the earthquake in
Japan last year.

Brown was one of two members of the agency’s executive team identified
as being paid through private companies…..   The other senior ONR
official identified as being paid through a private company was Jon
Seddon, finance director and head of corporate services since early
2010……
Brown has told colleagues that his contractual obligations prevent him
from commenting. It was revealed three weeks ago that Lester, whose
payment arrangements had been approved by the tax authorities, was
being paid through a personal service company and off the SLC payroll.

Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, wrote to fellow
cabinet ministers to order a Whitehall-wide review to find out how
many public officials were being paid gross. He announced that Lester
would have to go on the payroll forthwith, and have tax and national
insurance deducted at source.

He later widened the scope of the inquiry beyond Whitehall as it
became clear that the practice of being paid through a company had
become widespread among senior public officials. One government
agency’s chief executive had even actively encouraged staff to strike
similar deals, Exaro revealed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/feb/24/nuclear-regulator-private-firm-contract?newsfeed=true

February 25, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, UK