7.1. The purpose of a surveillance programme is to provide oversight of a waste disposal facility, in order to verify the integrity of the passive safety barriers, and to enable the prompt identification of conditions that may lead to a migration or release of radionuclides or other contaminants to the environment. In addition, surveillance includes the review or audit of records, in order to periodically inspect product specifications, and to check the results of such inspections. The surveillance programme is applicable primarily to the operational period and is usually implemented through regular inspections of components of the waste disposal facility that have been identified as critical to the safety case. The surveillance programme includes, but is not limited to, inspection of these components of the waste disposal facility.