British Energy: Taxpayers should not be responsible for management and DTI failures - Bruce

10.36.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 6th Feb 2004

Responding to the National Audit Office Report into British Energy, Malcolm Bruce MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow DTI Secretary, said:

"This report shows that British Energy continued to pay dividends that the company's performance could not justify. At the same time the DTI failed to realise the effect the new market for electricity would have on British Energy's profitability and the exposure of taxpayers to the company's nuclear liabilities.

"Despite the potentially large public liability the DTI relied on analysts and the fact that the company continued to pay dividends.

"According to the NAO, part of the DTI's problem was that there were too many Government agencies involved without ever knowing the full story of the mess British Energy was in, or the adverse effect Government policy was having on the company.

"The rise in the price of British Energy shares in the past week shows that shareholders are still hopeful of getting some return. It is unacceptable that shareholders in a private company who have failed to hold the management to account should be bailed out by the British taxpayer."