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Eight things we learned in the UK government's pre-Johnson info dump

By Adam Vaughan

23 July 2019

New 精东传媒. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Boris Johnson has been named the new leader of the UK Conservative Party

NEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Welcome to the latest聽. In the past 36 hours, the UK government has put out 42 consultations and papers, just days before parliament鈥檚 summer recess and Boris Johnson becomes prime minister.

These are not insignificant announcements. There鈥檚 everything from how the National Health Service hopes to prevent ill health and eliminate smoking in England by 2030, to plans to force councils to offer food waste caddies, and for everyone with an energy bill to pay for new nuclear power stations. Here are eight of the most eye-catching. Let me know if I鈥檝e missed anything big, by emailing me聽or tweeting me ().

Consumers will pay for new nuclear power stations while they鈥檙e still being built

For the past decade, government has been arguing that consumers shouldn鈥檛 be exposed to the risks of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station being delayed or going over budget. Last night, 鈥 that consumers should start paying for future nuclear plants while they鈥檙e still being built, because it would provide 鈥渧alue for money鈥 and a 鈥渁 lower cost to consumers鈥.

The reason for this new funding model is the last one 鈥 of a guaranteed price of power 鈥 has failed to bring forward new nuclear plants after Hinkley, with . The proposed new way of funding them is called the regulated asset base model, and would see a regulator decide how much a nuclear developer could pass on costs to consumers through their energy bills, before a power station is even operating. The nuclear industry says the model will make 鈥渁 substantial contribution鈥 to lowering costs. Campaign group Greenpeace says it won鈥檛, and says it shifts the liability from developers to consumers if things go wrong.

New money for developing the first small nuclear plants has also been announced.

Londoners will still be breathing dangerously dirty air in 2030

A pair of reports, , hold bad news for Londoners. The government鈥檚 clean air policies should reduce the number of people exposed to levels of tiny particulate matter (PM2.5s) exceeding World Health Organization limits from 15m in 2016 to 4.4m in 2030, but there will still be widespread breaches in London. The capital 鈥減resents special problems鈥, says one report, with pollution in the city likely to be above the limits in 2030 even if 鈥渆xtreme measures鈥 are taken.

Everyone in England is going to get a food waste caddy

The government is , alongside their normal rubbish and recycling collection. Legislation is also going to be changed to force councils to offer a minimum set of things they recycle by 2023, including glass bottles, paper and card, plastic bottles, plastic pots, and aluminium cans.

Some people will be offered whole genome sequencing on the NHS within months

Seriously ill children likely to have a rare genetic disorder, children with cancer, and adults with certain rare conditions and cancers are to be offered whole genome sequencing later this year through the NHS. Plans for how genetic testing for more common diseases might be offered through the NHS are due out later this year. The department of health鈥檚 聽also sets 鈥渁n ambition to go 鈥榮moke-free鈥 in England by 2030.鈥

A bottle deposit return scheme is (probably) arriving in England and Wales from 2023

The government has been talking for aeons about some form of a scheme where consumers pay a deposit for drink bottles and cans, which is only refunded after the container is returned. Yes, like the sort of schemes that used to run more than 40 years ago. Today it is 鈥渕inded鈥 to use legislation to introduce the new scheme by 2023. Exactly which bottles and cans would be covered is unclear, but officials say it鈥檚 likely to include those up to 3 litres in size.

The government has fleshed out environmental protections after Brexit

More on the environmental laws and watchdog that will replace European protections once the UK leaves the EU. The big one is that the watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, is getting new powers, including the ability to take the government to court. Ruth Chambers of the Greener UK coalition of non-governmental organisations says: 鈥淕iving the green watchdog powers to initiate legal action against the government and undertake its own investigations shows that Michael Gove has listened to some major concerns.鈥

A plastic packaging tax is coming in 2022

The Treasury 鈥渘otes the levels of support鈥 among the 400-plus individuals and groups that responded to its consultation on plans for a plastic packaging tax. The that the tax will be introduced by 2022. More details are promised in the budget later this year.

Biodiversity loss near railway lines must be stopped

Following concerns over excessive tree-felling near railway lines, a 聽last year urged Network Rail to better manage vegetation. Today the Department for Transport responded by saying it: 鈥渆xpects Network Rail to achieve no net loss in biodiversity on its existing lineside estate by 2024 and to achieve biodiversity net gain on each route by 2040

Ministers really want to make carbon capture and storage work

How do you make the economics of carbon capture and storage work? Last night the government including subsidies akin to the ones awarded to offshore windfarms. It鈥檚 also at how old oil and gas sites can be used to transport and lock away the carbon.

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