News story: Amber Rudd statement on the death of Sir David MacKay
A statement from the Secretary of State on the death of DECC’s former Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir David MacKay.
Guidance: Buyers and sellers of first-sale fish and submission of sales notes
Updated: Link added
If you want to fish commercially and sell your fish you may be subject to regulations depending on your fishing method. If you are fishing recreationally or using a charter vessel you are also subject restrictions on selling your catch.
If you want to purchase fish you may need to register and submit sales information to the fisheries authority. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) registers buyers and sellers operating in England.
Corporate report: Radioactive particles in the environment around Dounreay
Updated: Attached new information leaflet ‘Monitoring of beaches near Dounreay’
Particles are fragments of irradiated nuclear fuel discharged to sea as a result of historic practices in reprocessing.
Used fuel from the reactors on site and other research reactors in Britain and abroad was recycled in the site’s reprocessing facilities.
The swarf produced during the procedure was discharged from fuel ponds with the water and were released to sea.
It is not known how many particles were released but extensive research suggests that the bulk were released between 1958 and 1984.
The most hazardous fragments are located close to an old discharge point on the seabed.
Their disintegration is believed to be the source of smaller, less hazardous particles detected on local beaches since the early 1980s.
Health risks
Expert laboratory research into the potential health effects of different particles has been carried out by the Health Protection Agency for Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and studied by the independent Dounreay Particles Advisory Group (DPAG). The work looked at the likely health effects of different particles being swallowed, inhaled or coming into skin contact.
DPAG concluded that only those particles in the significant category pose a realistic potential to cause harm to members of the public, and that the probability of the most frequent beach-users at Sandside coming into contact with a relevant particle is one in 80 million.
A number of studies on the potential effects of particles have been completed by independent bodies.
Explanations of the hazards and risks can be found at:
- SEPA
- Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE)
- Food Standards Agency (FSA)
Monitoring
Beach monitoring continues and forms part of the RSA authorisation granted to the site by SEPA. Monitoring of land owned by third parties is subject to agreements on access.
During 2003-2008 an extensive consultation programme was established to identify the best practicable environmental option (BPEO). The consultation led to recommendations to Government bodies on the way forward which is environmentally and publicly acceptable.
This process recognised that recovery of every particle was impractical but that it was feasible to seek recovery of larger, more hazardous particles that pose a significant health risk and which had settled in the sediment close to Dounreay. That, along with on-shore monitoring specifically at Dounreay foreshore and Sandside beach, was identified as the preferred way forward.
Underwater clean-up started in August 2008, targeted at a 60-hectare area of seabed known as the “plume” where the most hazardous particles were located. This work continued each summer until 2012.
This programme was guided by the independent expert Particles Recovery Advisory Group (Dounreay), PRAG(D), which advises both DSRL and SEPA.
All particles recovered from the seabed were returned to Dounreay.
The Dounreay foreshore and Sandside beach in the bay adjacent to the site are monitored on a regular basis. Strathy beach and Murkle beach act as ‘gatekeepers’ and are monitored twice a year to ensure that the offshore work has not adversely impacted the surrounding beaches.
When a particle is detected, it is retrieved and taken to Dounreay for analysis. The regulator is informed, and the find is reported publicly via this website. Any unusual finds are treated in the same manner.
In the 1990s extensive additional surveys of the site were carried out. This included roadside verges, cliff top land and drainage systems. By 2009, these surveys had yielded 89 particles.
Detailed investigations identified a number of areas of the site where more particles could be expected to be found during decommissioning.
The effectiveness of the clean-up is reported by Dounreay to SEPA, PRAG(D) and other interested parties, including the site stakeholder group.
Guidance: Dounreay Communities Fund
Updated: September 2018 summary added to document
The fund is provided by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and administered by Dounreay in association with the Dounreay Stakeholder Group.
Applications to the fund are reviewed on a quarterly basis:
| Closing dates for submitting applications | Application review dates |
| 27 June 2018 | 11 July 2018 |
| 22 August 2018 | 5 September 2018 |
| 17 October 2019 | 31 October 2018 |
| 16 January 2019 | 30 January 2019 |
Dounreay reserves the right to change this schedule.
For more information, contact:
Dounreay Communities Fund Co-ordinator
Dounreay.com
Traill House
7 Olrig Street
Thurso
Caithness
KW14 7BJ
Telephone: 01847 890837
Essential maintenance to Companies House online services
There will be maintenance work taking place, which may affect Companies House services, between Saturday 19 November and Monday 21 November.
Maintenance window scheduled for Saturday 19 November from 8am to 10pm may cause disruption to online services
New maintenance window between 8pm and 9pm this evening (Tuesday 8 November)
Maintenance work will affect our online services from Friday 14 October to Monday 17 October.
Essential maintenance to our web services
Potential disruption because of essential maintenance work.
Changed date
Edited to change date of maintenance work to 1 August.
Maintenance work will affect our online services on Saturday 16 July.
Maintenance on Saturday 25 June and Sunday 26 June 2022.
Maintenance work will affect our online services on Saturday 18 June and Sunday 19 June.
Weekend maintenance work will affect our online services on 11-12 June and 18-19 June 2022.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Saturday 4 June 2022.
Disruption to Companies House online services from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 21 May 2022.
Added Find and update company information to list of affected services.
All Companies House online services will be unavailable from 8am to 8pm on Sunday 15 May 2022.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Saturday 7 May.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Sunday 24 April.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Saturday 26 March.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Saturday 12 March.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Thursday 24 February.
Our Report a PSC discrepancy and Apply to strike off and dissolve a company services will be unavailable on Sunday 20 February.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Sunday 20 February.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Thursday 10 February.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Wednesday 2 February.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Saturday 22 January.
Maintenance will affect our online services between 7am and 9am on Saturday 4 December.
Our Webfiling service and XML Gateway will not be available for about 2 hours from 8:30pm on Sunday 14 November.
Maintenance will affect our online services from Friday 12 November to Monday 15 November.
Maintenance scheduled for Saturday 6 November has been cancelled. You may experience disruption when using our online services from 8am to midday on Sunday 7 November.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 November.
Maintenance may affect our online services from 7am to 5pm on Saturday 23 October.
Maintenance may affect our online services from 7am to midday on Saturday 16 October.
Maintenance may affect our online services from 10am to 1pm on Saturday 9 October.
Maintenance on Saturday 25 September will affect Companies House Direct (CHD).
There may be disruption to our online services from 3am to 4am on Sunday 12 September.
Maintenance will affect our online services from 9am to 1pm on Saturday 7 August.
Maintenance will affect our online services on Saturday 10 July.
There may be some disruption to our online payment services from 3am to 4am on Sunday 27 June. Customers may experience disruption of up to 15 minutes when attempting to make payment on our online services during this period.
There may be disruption to some of our online services from 8pm on Monday 24 May to 6am on Tuesday 25 May.
There may be disruption to some of our online services from 10pm on Monday 17 May to 4am on Tuesday 18 May.
Maintenance will affect some of our online services from 8am to 4pm on Saturday 15 May, and 8am to 4pm on Sunday 16 May.
Maintenance may affect some of our online services from 8pm on Saturday 8 May to 6am on Sunday 9 May.
Maintenance will affect our online services from 8am to 4pm on Saturday 17 April.
Our WebFiling service and XML gateway (software filing and search) may not be available from 8pm on Friday 26 March to 6am on Saturday 27 March, and from 8pm on Saturday 27 March to 6am on Sunday 28 March.
Maintenance on Wednesday 24 March will affect our online filing and software services.
Updated as scheduled maintainance has been cancelled
Maintenance will affect our online filing and software services on Saturday 20 March.
Online filing and XML gateway will not be available on Saturday 6 March.
Possible disruption to our online and software filing services between 8am and 10am on Saturday 20 February.
Moving our XML database to the cloud on Saturday 13 February as part of the cloud migration work.
Maintenance on Sunday 7 February will affect Companies House service (CHS).
Maintenance on Saturday 23 January will affect confirmation receipts for online filing.
Maintenance scheduled for Saturday 16 January cancelled.
Maintenance on Saturday 23 January from 8am to 8pm will delay confirmation receipts for online filing.
Maintenance may affect our online services on Saturday 9 January.
Maintenance may affect our online services from 7pm on Thursday 31 December to 7am on Friday 1 January 2021.
Maintenance from 8am to 2pm on Saturday 12 December.
Maintenance from 7am to 12pm on Saturday 10 October.
Maintenance to Companies House Service (CHS) from 9am to 3pm on Saturday 3 October.
Maintenance work will affect our online services from 8am to 12pm on Sunday 14 June.
Maintenance cancelled for Sunday 31 May.
Planned maintenance to Companies House Service at 8am on Sunday 31 May.
Maintenance to the online extensions service at 8pm on Wednesday 8 April.
Maintenance to the online extensions service at 9am on Sunday 5 April.
Maintenance to extensions service at 8pm on Thursday 2 April.
Maintenance to extensions service at 8pm on Wednesday 1 April.
Maintenance planned for Saturday 7 March and Sunday 8 March.
Maintenance work to CHS on Thursday 14 November.
Maintenance planned for Saturday 9 November.
Maintenance to CHS on Monday 4 November.
Maintenance for Wednesday 16 October cancelled.
Maintenance on Wednesday 16 October.
Maintenance for Saturday 5 October cancelled.
Added translation
Planned online maintenance on Saturday 5 October.
Maintenance on Saturday 3 August.
Maintenance on Saturday 4 May 2019.
Maintenance on Friday 12 April and Saturday 13 April.
Maintenance extended to 7am Wednesday 27 March.
Maintenance on Monday 25 March to Tuesday 26 March.
Maintenance on Saturday 23 February 2019.
Maintenance on Sun 3 Feb and Sat 16 Feb.
Maintenance on Saturday 16 February.
Maintenance to our online strike off service from 19 to 20 January.
Maintenance for Sunday 13 January cancelled.
Maintenance to our services on Sunday 13 January 2019.
Maintenance on Saturday 1 December.
Maintenance on Wednesday 21 November.
Maintenance on Wednesday 14 November.
E-billing service unavailable from 9am to 1pm on Sunday 11 November.
Maintenance on Saturday 10 November and Sunday 11 November.
Maintenance scheduled for Saturday 10 November and Sunday 11 November.
Maintenance planned for Saturday 3 November 2018.
Issue with our phone lines.
Maintenance planned for Saturday 3 November 2018.
Essential maintenance planned for Tuesday 25 September.
Essential upgrades to our incorporation services on 8 September 2018.
Issues with WebFiling, CHD and WebCHeck
Maintenance window
Maintenance window
Essential maintenance
Essential maintenance notice
Maintenance message
Updated as office reopen.
Update to our opening times.
Updated to include press contact details.
Companies House offices closed due to weather.
CHS issues.
Notice about issues with our finance systems.
CHS issues resolved
Problems with CHS
Possible disruption to Companies House Service
Power issues now resolved.
Update.
Issue at our Edinburgh office.
Maintenance planned for 11 November.
Maintenance cancelled.
Planned maintenance 4 November.
Maintenance planned for 4 November.
Alert about service maintenance.
Essential maintenance message
Additional maintenance required
Update to article
Planned maintenance 25 June 2017
Planned maintenance successfully completed and all services back on line.
CHS now not available from 4pm on 13 April
Added note that Follow won’t be available during the maintenance.
Essential maintenance from 11:59pm on Thursday 13 April to 7am on Tuesday 18 April.
Planned maintenance completed successfully.
Maintenance planned between Friday 2 December to Sunday 4 December
Essential online maintenance between 7am-8pm Saturday 15 October 2016
Planned maintenance message removed.
First published.