Literatura científica selecionada sobre o tema "Committee to Investigate the Concerns of the State Prison"

Serious concerns on the rights of Afghanistan’s women and girls have been raised ever since the Taliban returned to power on 15th August 2021. This paper uses a normative methodology to investigate the discrepancy of legal argument in the international law of succession in terms of status of Taliban within the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) framework. This paper confirmed that the Taliban is the de facto government of Afghanistan as the Taliban have effective and integrated control over a state territory and there is no competing entity with a solid constitutional claim. Therefore, the Taliban is bound by international law to guarantee that women enjoy equal educational rights, including access to school and curriculum. However, the current framework of CEDAW, including the CEDAW committee has not be able to cope with such issues, as it should be reformed in the next future.

Information technology (IT) has become an integral part of development in any organization. Dependence on IT brings concerns in organizations to handle its increasing complexity which necessitates the implementation of IT governance. However, IT governance is lacking in the public sector organizations of developing countries, leading to failure to realize the full potential value of IT. For Uganda's higher institutions of learning (HILs), implementation of IT governance is unexplored. Therefore, in this paper, the authors investigate the state of IT governance among the eight HILs in Uganda. Interviews were used to collect data which was categorized into structures, processes, and relational mechanisms. The results showed that the relational mechanisms like training were fairly implemented, while structures and processes like the IT steering committee and IT performance measurement respectively were poorly implemented.

Background ‘Engager’ is an innovative ‘through-the-gate’ complex care intervention for male prison-leavers with common mental health problems. In parallel to the randomised-controlled trial of Engager (Trial registration number: ISRCTN11707331), a set of process evaluation analyses were undertaken. This paper reports on the depth multiple case study analysis part of the process evaluation, exploring how a sub-sample of prison-leavers engaged and responded to the intervention offer of one-to-one support during their re-integration into the community. Methods To understand intervention delivery and what response it elicited in individuals, we used a realist-informed qualitative multiple ‘case’ studies approach. We scrutinised how intervention component delivery lead to outcomes by examining underlying causal pathways or ‘mechanisms’ that promoted or hindered progress towards personal outcomes. ‘Cases’ (n = 24) were prison-leavers from the intervention arm of the trial. We collected practitioner activity logs and conducted semi-structured interviews with prison-leavers and Engager/other service practitioners. We mapped data for each case against the intervention logic model and then used Bhaskar’s (2016) ‘DREIC’ analytic process to categorise cases according to extent of intervention delivery, outcomes evidenced, and contributing factors behind engagement or disengagement and progress achieved. Results There were variations in the dose and session focus of the intervention delivery, and how different participants responded. Participants sustaining long-term engagement and sustained change reached a state of ‘crises but coping’. We found evidence that several components of the intervention were key to achieving this: trusting relationships, therapeutic work delivered well and over time; and an in-depth shared understanding of needs, concerns, and goals between the practitioner and participants. Those who disengaged were in one of the following states: ‘Crises and chaos’, ‘Resigned acceptance’, ‘Honeymoon’ or ‘Wilful withdrawal’. Conclusions We demonstrate that the ‘implementability’ of an intervention can be explained by examining the delivery of core intervention components in relation to the responses elicited in the participants. Core delivery mechanisms often had to be ‘triggered’ numerous times to produce sustained change. The improvements achieved, sustained, and valued by participants were not always reflected in the quantitative measures recorded in the RCT. The compatibility between the practitioner, participant and setting were continually at risk of being undermined by implementation failure as well as changing external circumstances and participants’ own weaknesses. Trial registration number ISRCTN11707331, Wales Research Ethics Committee, Registered 02-04-2016—Retrospectively registered https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11707331.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the institutional history and documentary evidence of the North American Band Directors’ Coordinating Committee (NABDCC) during the first decade of its existence, from 1960 through 1970. The NABDCC constituted a forum of national band, music industry, and related associations, including the American Bandmasters Association, College Band Directors National Association, and the National Association of Music Merchants, for examining mutual concerns critically and for fostering discussion with experts outside of the wind profession. The research questions addressed the development of the NABDCC, important events in its history, and the specific issues in music education examined by the committee. Important issues in instrumental music that were discussed by the NABDCC included the role of the band in the school curriculum, music advocacy, federal and state legislation, standards-based education, and the inclusion of new musical styles and ensembles. Various themes across these issues emerged from the study, including the difficulties of collaboration within a multifaceted representation of specific interests and the oscillating relationship between music educators and the music industry. The results of this study contribute to enhanced understanding of 1960s instrumental music education, with implications for the present.

Concerns have been expressed very often as to why the intergovernmental relations in the federal system of many developing countries, especially in the Sub-Sahara Africa are predictably chequered. Lack of devolution of power to LGAs in Nigeria is usually at the expense of grassroots development especially with regards to infrastructure/social amenities. Besides, the confusion surrounding progressive decline in provision of rural infrastructure to the local government areas of the state despite humongous monthly fiscal allocations to the LGAs by Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) equally creates existential problems to the rural dwellers. It is on this note that the study seeks to investigate the apparently disturbing paradox in Imo State. Data were sourced from both secondary and primary sources. Secondary data was sourced from government gazette and related literature while primary data was elicited from respondents through structured questionnaire. Multiple regression and graphical/pictorial analytical techniques were used for secondary and primary data respectively. The findings indicated that lack of transformative leadership exhibited in embezzlement of funds and indifference in leadership on the part of the State agents were the significant causes of poor development in the rural areas of Imo State. The study recommended inter alia; the enforcement of attitudinal change and punitive sanctions on the political and administrative classes in the state through legal measures to protect public funds for service delivery.

Background: Primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rare, life-threatening, immune disorder characterized by a hyperinflammatory state in which patients typically develop fever, splenomegaly, cytopenias and coagulopathy. In patients with primary HLH, interferon gamma (IFNy) is considered to be the key player driving the hyperinflammatory state. The treatment goal of primary HLH is to stabilize the disease by controlling the associated hyperinflammation in order to bring patients to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the only potentially curative therapy. Current conventional therapy for HLH is based on the combined use of dexamethasone and etoposide, and, although effective in many patients, these drugs may promote the development of opportunistic infections and tissue toxicity, and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Emapalumab is a fully human, anti-IFNy monoclonal antibody that neutralizes IFNy. It is approved by the FDA for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with primary HLH with refractory, recurrent or progressive disease, or intolerance with conventional HLH therapy. Herein, we report on the safety of emapalumab in primary HLH seen in the pivotal phase 2/3 study (Locatelli et al. NEJM 2020) and investigate the relationship of adverse events (AE) to dose and duration of treatment. Methods: Due to the rare and life-threatening nature of the disease, the efficacy and safety of emapalumab was assessed in an open-label pivotal study (NCT01818492) which included patients aged ≤18 years with a diagnosis of primary HLH and active disease (Locatelli et al NEJM 2020). The initial dose of emapalumab was 1 mg/kg given intravenously every 3 days. Subsequent doses could be increased to 3, 6 and 10 mg/kg if required, based on predefined laboratory and clinical response parameters. Treatment duration was 8 weeks, with possible shortening to a minimum of 4 weeks, or extension up to the time of HSCT if needed. Analysis was performed on 34 patients at a database cut-off date of July 2017 (Locatelli et al NEJM 2020). The relationship of AE to emapalumab treatment was reported by the study investigator. The impact of treatment duration on AE or infection occurrence was measured by the number of events with onset in a predefined time interval from emapalumab initiation. The impact of the dosing scheme on AE and infection occurrence was assessed by the number of AEs or infections in a predefined dose range. Results: Overall, 29% of patients had at least one AE deemed related to emapalumab use. Most (90%) of these events were infusion-related reactions, all of which were mild to moderate and resolved. No severe or serious hypersensitivity reactions were reported. Infections caused by pathogens potentially favored by IFNy neutralization occurred in 1 patient during emapalumab treatment (disseminated histoplasmosis) and resolved with appropriate treatment. There was no increase in AE frequency or the number of viral, bacterial, or fungal infections with increased dose or duration of emapalumab treatment. Conclusion: Neutralization of IFNy with emapalumab in this very fragile population of patients with active primary HLH was associated with a favorable and manageable safety profile across all doses and treatment durations assessed, allowing for flexible and tailored use based on patient clinical response. In addition, 102 patients have been treated in the US following FDA approval, and post-marketing surveillance has not revealed any additional safety concerns with the use of emapalumab in primary HLH (cutoff date 19 May 2020). Taken together, these safety results suggest that emapalumab may offer an additional advantage over conventional HLH therapies. Disclosures Locatelli: Jazz Pharmaceeutical: Speakers Bureau; Medac: Speakers Bureau; Miltenyi: Speakers Bureau; Bellicum Pharmaceutical: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Jordan:Sobi: Consultancy. Allen:Sobi: Other: Scientific Steering Committee, Data And Safety Monitoring. Rizzari:Sobi: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board. Rao:Sobi: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board. Sevilla:Novartis: Other: Advisory Board; Amgen: Other: Advisory Board; Rocket Pharma: Consultancy; Sobi: Other: Advisory Board. Henry:Sobi: Consultancy. De Benedetti:Pfizer: Research Funding; Novartis Pharma: Research Funding; Sanofi-Aventis: Research Funding; Sobi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Research Funding; F Hoffmann-La Roche AG: Research Funding. Grom:Novartis Pharma: Consultancy; Sobi: Consultancy; AB2Bio: Consultancy. de Min:Sobi: Consultancy.

Abstract Gaucher Disease (GD) is a metabolic inherited disorder, that classically includes three clinical phenotypes. Type I GD (GD1) is considered as a non-neuronopathic variant and can mimic a hematologic disease; type II (GD2) is classified as an acute neuropathic form and type III (GD3) is characterized by a slower and progressive neurological involvement. A protective role of N370S mutation against neurological impairment had been previously hypothesized in GD1, however, increasing data and our experience show that patients with GD1 may present clinical signs of parkinsonism, frequently combined with cognitive impairment and behavioral alterations. Structural brain changes associated with cognitive impairments in GD patients, especially type I, has not yet been reported. The prospective study, called SENOPRO_GAUCHER, has investigated in depth, the neurological status in GD patients using a multidisciplinary approach, including 3Tesla magnetic resonance (3T MR). This study was approved by our Ethics Committee. Baseline data on neurological, psychological, psychiatric, somatosensory, and motor evaluations, and electroencephalography (EEG) surprisingly revealed two, or more, clinical and/or instrumental, neurological signs in all GD1 patients, and a wide spectrum of neurological abnormalities in all GD3 patients. We, hereby, report the results of investigations on brain structure of GD patients, compared to that of healthy subjects, using 3T MR, in order to evaluate whether brain alterations can predict neurocognitive impairment in GD patients, especially GD1. Out of 22 GD patients, assessed for neuropsychological and psychiatric functions, 19 (17 GD1, 2 GD3, median age = 44, range 17 - 68 years) underwent 3T MR examination. Regarding genotyping, all but one of the 17 GD1 patients was N370S mutation heterozygous. A Voxel-based Morphometry (VBM) analysis was performed to investigate brain structure in the 19 GD patients and in 19 healthy subjects with no neurological or neuropsychiatric disease. The healthy subjects, matched to patients by age, sex, and education, in addition to 3T MR, underwent neuropsychological assessment using Mini-Mental State Exam and Mental Deterioration Battery, to evaluate cognitive functions and mental deterioration, respectively. Qualitative MR examinations revealed unspecific abnormalities in 7/17 GD1 patients. In particular, cortical and/or subcortical areas of gliosis (4 patients), vascular ectasia extended from the left frontal surface of the brain to the lateral ventricle (1 patient), dilation of perivascular spaces in the sub-cortical and nucleus-basal area (1 patient), diffuse suffering of the brain white matter due to a chronic ischemic vascular damage (1 patient) were found. Concurrently, results of the VBM analysis revealed that a set of regions, mostly located in the prefrontal and parieto-occipital cortex, were significantly reduced in GD patients, compared to healthy subjects. The most affected regions included the frontal eye fields, the dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex, the posterior cingulate cortex, and the V3B area. Psychological and psychiatric evaluations underlined anxiety, depression, and somatic concerns in 10/17 GD1 patients, combined with cognitive impairments in two of them. Moreover, 1/2 GD3 and 5/17 GD1 patients showed cognitive impairments in attention, language, short-term memory, and executive cognitive functions. The local brain volume reductions, detected in GD1 patients, were in line with the cognitive impairments resulted in the neuropsychological assessment. Cortical reductions of fronto-parietal regions, responsible for the planning and execution of movements, are compatible with impairments in executive functions (digit-span) and visuo-spatial memory, found in GD1 patients. Moreover, impairments in short-term memory observed in GD1 patients are compatible with cortical reductions in the frontal cortex found by the VBM analysis. In conclusion, focal brain differences found between GD1 patients and healthy subjects may predict and clarify the cognitive impairments and behavioural alterations observed in GD patients. The brain structural analyses, associated with neuropsychological assessment, suggest that a multidisciplinary approach is necessary in evaluating GD1 patients. Disclosures Giona: Sanofi Genzyme: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy.

The Sharjah International Conference on Physics of Advanced Materials (SICPAM) was held on April 23–25, 2023, on the beautiful campus of the University of Sharjah. It brought together more than 120 scientists from 21 countries. The list of invited speakers included leading scientists, editors of reputable journals, young researchers, and students in the field of material science from Europe, the USA and Asia. Materials have been the key behind major technological breakthroughs throughout history. Their properties can be engineered and optimized to develop specific applications. The transformation of iron into steel ignited the second industrial revolution and the development of railways before the end of the nineteenth century. Similarly, semiconductors enabled the design of solid-state devices that gave birth to modern electronics and the digital revolution (the third industrial revolution). Today, we are witnessing the birth of the fourth industrial revolution with the fast development of generative AI and the production of the first versions of quantum computers. Quantum materials are emerging as the building blocks of quantum technologies. The conference covered a wide range of materials and some of the advanced techniques that are used to investigate their properties, as well as the computational methods that are emerging as very powerful tools for material design and screening for diverse applications, including energy conversion and storage, gas sensing and biosensing, water treatment and desalination, etc. The conference was an enriching experience and an excellent opportunity for many scientists to develop connections and possible collaborations. We would like to express our high appreciations to the University of Sharjah for hosting the conference and members of the scientific and organizing committees who worked hard to make the event a great success that will remain in our memory for a long time. Our sincere thanks go to the sponsors who generously supported the conference, namely: Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA), Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). Finally, I would like to address my deepest thanks to the co-Editors who worked tirelessly to ensure that all submitted papers are thoroughly reviewed and the referees’ concerns are properly addressed. Prof. Nouar Tabet, Chairman of the Scientific Committee List of Editors, Scientific Committee, Organizing Committee are available in the pdf

AbstractThe Review has chosen to open this edition with an interview with General Abdoulaye Kaka as a representative of State practice in counterterrorism detention. The journal chose to focus on Niger as a State that is affected by an ongoing armed conflict and which arrests, detains and tries suspected members of a non-State armed group under its domestic legal system.General Abdoulaye Kaka has been working as Head of Niger's Central Counterterrorism Agency (Service Central de Lutte Contre le Terrorisme) since 2014. He previously worked for the judicial police in Niger as head of the anti-gang section before opening the first office of the judicial police in Zinder. General Kaka worked for the United Nations (UN) police forces in Ivory Coast between 2006 and 2012, when he became the Commander-in-Chief of the Niger UN police forces.In his current role as Head of the Central Counterterrorism Agency, General Kaka oversees detention operations throughout the country, many of which involve suspected members of the group that calls itself Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP), also known as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad or, as it is most widely known under its former name, Boko Haram.Niger has suffered the effects of the ongoing conflict between ISWAP and State forces in the Lake Chad region, resulting in casualties, arrests and repeated displacement among civilians. The government of Niger contributes troops to the Multinational Joint Task Force, which conducts operations against the group. At the same time, the government arrests and detains suspected members of ISWAP as part of its counterterrorism efforts. These detention operations are coordinated by the Central Counterterrorism Agency. Established in 2011, the Central Counterterrorism Agency, successor to the counterterrorism section of the judicial police, is made up of representatives from the three primary law enforcement organizations in the country – the national police, the national guard and the gendarmerie – and is principally responsible for counterterrorism investigations in Niger.In Niger, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) helps people affected by conflict in the south-east or fleeing fighting in north-east Nigeria. With the Niger Red Cross, the ICRC delivers aid, treats the wounded, provides water and supports farmers. The ICRC also monitors compliance with international humanitarian law, visits detainees and helps them to maintain contact with their families.The ICRC visits people held by the authorities in at least five places of detention in Niger. After the visits, the ICRC shares its findings on the treatment and living conditions of the detainees confidentially with the authorities and urges them to take steps to address concerns. The ICRC also helps bolster prison management capacities and health services for detainees through technical and material support, and round-table discussions on these topics. The ICRC helps detainees, particularly minors, maintain contact with their families. At the request of foreign detainees, the ICRC informs their families or consular representatives of their detention. Lastly, the ICRC covers transportation costs for security detainees returning home after their release.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 outbreak is increasing and spreading rapidly globally, with over 20 million cases and 800, 000 thousand deaths reported in 216 countries as of 28th August 2020. Since the report of the index case in Nigeria in February 2020 by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), daily records of confirmed cases have been reported in all states in the country. On 3rd April 2020, an outbreak of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. Field investigations were conducted by the State Ministry of Health (MoH) to identify and confirm additional cases. This paper provides the outcome of the epidemiological investigation of the outbreak to further guide outbreak response activities. Methods Outbreak settings Ondo State is in the South-West Zone of Nigeria with her capital at Akure. The State is situated between longitudes 40 151E and 60 001E of the Greenwich median and latitudes 50 451N and 70 451 N, which are to the North of the equator in the Southwestern geopolitical zones of the country. Field Investigation The investigation was conducted as part of outbreak control and response measures hence permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Ondo State Ministry of Health (OSMoH). Following an alert from clinicians at a government-owned Hospital, Akure, Ondo State on 30 March 2020, the index case of COVID-19, a 34-year-old male with recent travel history to India was investigated. He arrived at Ondo State on 21st March 2020 and presented at the hospital with cough, sore throat and running nose with the onset of symptoms on 23rd March 2020. The State public health emergency Rapid Response Team (RRT) comprising of Commissioner for Health, State Epidemiologist, State and LGA surveillance officers, and health development partners in the state visited the hospital to investigate and implement public health response. Nasopharygeal and oropharyngeal samples were collected and tested for COVID-19, and returned positive from the national reference laboratory on the 3rd of April 2020. Operational definitions During the onset of the outbreak, three categories of case definitions for COVID-19 were used to guide the outbreak investigations according to the Nigeria Center for Diseases Control (NCDC) guidelines. Suspect case: (1) This is a patient with acute respiratory illness (fever and at least one sign/ symptom of respiratory disease (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) and a history of travel to or residence in a country/area or territory reporting local transmission of COVID-19 disease during the 14 days prior to symptom onset; (2) or a patient/health care worker with any acute respiratory illness and has been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the last 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms; (3) or a patient with a severe acute respiratory infection (fever and at least one sign/symptom of respiratory disease (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) and requiring hospitalization and with no other aetiology that fully explains the clinical presentation; (4) or a case for whom testing for COVID-19 is inconclusive. Confirmed case: A person with laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 infection, irrespective of clinical signs and symptoms. Probable case: Any suspected case for whom testing for COVID-19 is indeterminate test result or for whom testing was positive on a pan-coronavirus assay Data analysis The State COVID-19 line-list and case investigation forms of all COVID-19 cases from 19th March to 9th August 2020 were retrieved from the state disease surveillance unit, information on key variables were extracted and exported into SPSS version 20 and analyzed. Descriptive statistics such as frequency table, mean (standard deviation) and charts were used to describe key variables including LGA, age, sex, occupation and education and clinical conditions of cases. The week of report of cases and outcomes were used to generate the epidemic curve. The Chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables including the socio-demographic characteristics, clinical condition and outcome of cases. Two-sided P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results Socio-demographic characteristics of cases A total of 4353 suspected cases were reported and tested for COVID-19, of which 1316 COVID-19 cases were confirmed, with a case fatality rate of 2.2% recorded in 7 of the 17 Local Government Areas that reported at least a confirmed case (Figure 1). Most of the confirmed cases (1169; 88.8%), resides in urban areas (LGAs) (Table 1). Majority [1110 (84.3%)] were within the age group 20 to 59 years, with a mean age of 37.8 ±14.8 years. Males (713; 54.2%) were more affected compare to females (603; 45.8). More than three quarters (1009; 76.7%) of the cases had a tertiary level of education. Health care workers (404; 30.7%) were most affected compared to other professionals as shown in Table 1. Admission and clinical conditions of confirmed cases From Table 2, 88 (6.7%) of the confirmed cases were admitted as inpatient during investigation, while 325 (24.7%) were symptomatic. The first symptom reported by cases were as follows; cough (98; 30.2%), fever (74; 22.8%), headache (30; 9.2%), runny nose (39; 12.0%), sore throat (24; 7.4%) and difficulty in breathing (15; 4.6%). Figure 2 described the epidemic curve of the outbreak from March to August 2020. The index case was confirmed on April 4, 2020. Thereafter, there was a surge in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases with the outbreak reaching its peak on July 2, 2020. Afterwards, fluctuations in the number of cases were observed before a steady decline was recorded between August 3, 2020 and August 9, 2020. Association between socio-demographic characteristics, clinical conditions and outcomes of cases In Table 3, significant proportion of death occurred among cases within the age group 60 years and above (14; 13.5%) compared to other age groups (p < 0.001). Death occurred more among males (26; 3.6%) compared to the females (3; 0.5%) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, symptomatic cases had higher proportion (27; 8.3%) of deaths compared to asymptomatic cases (2; 0.2%) (P < 0.001). Among the symptomatic cases, a high proportion of death was found among those with difficulty in breathing (3; 20%), fever (11; 14.9%), new loss of taste (1; 11.1%), cough (9; 9.2%) and sore throat (2; 8.3%) (P < 0.001) Conclusions The outcome of this investigation indicating high transmission among urban residence and health care workers are key public health concerns in the response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Ondo State, Nigeria. Furthermore, high case mortality among the older age groups requires public health intervention. Thus, we recommend intensified risk communication, enhanced surveillance activities, and use of community structures such as community and religious leaders, market and commercial vehicles associations, Ward Development Committee (WDC) and Village Development Committee (VDC) to ensure compliance with public health COVID-19 preventive measures particularly in the urban areas and among those facing a high risk of death. Furthermore, there is a need to prioritize public health interventions including training and vaccination among the vulnerable groups including health care workers who serve as front liners during case investigation, testing and case management. Key messages Enforcement of public health preventive measures particularly in urban settings, and supporting government to strengthen and monitor Infection Prevention and Control practices in hospital settings.

UKAEA’s mission at its Dounreay establishment in the north of Scotland is to restore the site so that it can be used for other purposes, with a minimal effect on the environment and requiring minimal attention by future generations. A Dounreay Site Restoration Plan (DSRP) has been produced. It sets out the decommissioning and radioactive waste management activities to restore the site within the next 60 years. Management of solid low level radioactive waste (LLW) that already exists, and that which will be produced as the DSRP progresses is an essential site restoration activity. Altogether around 150,000m3 (5.3Mft3) of untreated LLW could arise. This will then need to be treated, packaged and managed, the resulting volume being around 200,000m3 (7Mft3). A project to develop a long term strategy for managing all Dounreay’s existing and future LLW was initiated in 1999. The identification of complete solutions for management of LLW arising from the site restoration of Dounreay, an integrated reactor and reprocessing site, is novel in the UK. The full range of LLW will be encountered. UKAEA is progressing this specific project during a period when both responsibility and policy for UK decommissioning and radioactive waste management are evolving in the UK. At present, for most UK nuclear operators, there are no recognised routes for disposing of significant volumes of decommissioning LLW that has either lower or higher radioactivity than the levels set by BNFL for disposal at the UK national LLW disposal site at Drigg. A large project such as this has the potential to affect the environmental and social conditions that prevail in the area where it is implemented. Local society therefore has an interest in a project of this scale and scope, particularly as there could be a number of feasible solutions. UKAEA is progressing the project by following UK established practice of undertaking a Best Practicable Environmental Option (BPEO) study. UKAEA has no preconceptions of the outcome and is diligently not prejudging issues prematurely. The BPEO process draws experts and non-experts alike into the discussions and facilitates a structured analysis of the options. However to permit meaningful debate those options have to be at first generated, and secondly investigated. This has taken UKAEA two and a half years in technical assessment of options at a cost of around £23/4M. The options and issues have been investigated to the depth necessary for comparisons and valid judgements to be made within the context of the BPEO study. Further technical evaluation will be required on those options that eventually emerge as the BPEO. UKAEA corporate strategy for stakeholder participation in BPEO studies is laid out in “Restoring our Environment”, published in October 2002. This was developed by a joint approach between project managers, Corporate Communications, and discussion with the regulators, government departments and Scottish Executive. An Internal Stakeholder Panel was held in March 2003. The Panel was independently facilitated and recorded. Eight Panel members attended who provided a representative cross-section of people working on site. Two External Stakeholder Panels were held in Thurso at the end of May 2003. A Youth Stakeholder Panel was held at which three sixth form students from local High Schools gave their views on the options for managing Dounreay’s LLW. The agenda was arranged to maximise interactive discussion on those options and issues that the young people themselves considered important. The second External Stakeholder Panel was based on the Dounreay Local Liaison Committee. Additional participants were invited in acknowledgement of the wider issues involved. As the use of Drigg is an option two representatives from the Cumbrian local district committee attended. From all the knowledge and information acquired from both the technical and stakeholder programmes UKAEA will build up the objective line of argument that leads to the BPEO emerging. This will be the completion of this first stage of the project and is planned for achievement in March 2004. Once the BPEO has been identified the next stage will be to work up the applications for the authorisations that will be necessary to allow implementation of the BPEO. Any facilities needed will require planning permission from the appropriate planning authority. The planning application could be called in by a Minister of State or a planning inquiry convened. During this next stage attention will be paid to ensure all reports and submissions are consistent and compliant with regulations and possible future legal processes. Stakeholder dialogue will continue throughout this next stage moving on from disussion of options to the actual developments. The objective will be to resolve as many issues stakeholders might raise prior to the submissions of applications and prior to the regulators’ formal consultation procedures. This will allow early attention to those areas of concern. Beyond the submission of applications for authorisations it is unwise to speculate as nuclear decommissioning will be then organised in the UK in a different way. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will most probably be in overall control and, particularly for Dounreay, the Scottish Executive may have developed its policy for radioactive waste management in Scotland.