These results and remaining issues are discussed in the report mentioned above. Specific priorities in research programmes may depend on national objectives and reactor types but there is largely consensus regarding the most significant safety issues. Their significance may be based upon risk analysis, operational experience, new design concepts or other factors deemed important by national interests. Over the years, in a number of areas CSNI has been able to reach common technical positions and in several cases to close safety issues, thereby eliminating or reducing the associated needs for further research. There is need to continue to invest in safety research in the future in order to develop understanding and to maintain our capability and expertise, as well as to be able to address emerging safety issues.
Further discussion is needed in a number of safety research areas.
Efforts should be made to coordinate and cooperate with these industrial programmes where appropriate. In the field of nuclear power safety, OECD countries' Government Agencies have broadly similar responsibilities. However, in several Member countries, the funding levels of national Government safety research programmes have been reduced over recent years. Care is needed to ensure that this does not have an adverse impact on the ability of Government Agencies to fulfil their safety responsibilities, especially since the reduction in Government direct or imposed funding of nuclear safety research may not have been offset by increases in the funding of safety research programmes of reactor vendors and operators. The Committee is concerned that dwindling budgets and support as well as stagnant nuclear programmes may lead to the untimely shutdown of large research facilities and the breaking up of experienced research and analytical teams with the consequent loss of competence and reduced capability to deal quickly and efficiently with future safety problems.