4.3 The NDA spent £8.6 million on legal advice while it defended the legal claims issued by Energy Solutions and Bechtel (Figure 16). Almost all of this expenditure related to the Energy Solutions claims. It spent a further £1.2 million on assistance from legal advisers in reaching the terms of the settlement with both parties. The NDA estimates that, during litigation, its total in-house staff cost was £1.7 million (Figure 17).
4.4 In March 2017, the Secretary of State announced that the NDA had agreed settlements with Energy Solutions and Bechtel (Figure 18).
Figure 17 Costs of NDA staff time
Notes 1 These costs are estimates produced by the NDA in July 2017. NDA staff are not required to submit timesheets, and therefore staff costs have been approximated by listing all the individuals thought to have been involved, estimating the time they spent, and multiplying this by a cost per unit time that includes salary, benefits and national insurance contributions. 2 Travel costs of NDA staff have not been included. The NDA typically spends 5% of payroll costs on travel. 3 Figures may not sum due to rounding. Source: Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estimates of in-house staff costs |
Figure 18 Settlements with Energy Solutions and Bechtel
Note 1 The NDA agreed a $14.8 million settlement with Bechtel; this has been converted to pounds sterling. 2 Figures may not sum due to rounding. Sources: Hansard HC, 27 March 2017, vol. 624, col 25, and NDA Annual Report and Accounts, 2016-17 |