48. Mr. B. Harrisonasked the Prime Minister if he has yet received the final report of the Technical Evaluation Committee on the Windscale accident; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir. The Report is being published today as a White Paper.
The Report recommends that a release of Wigner stored energy should be carried out on the Windscale Pile No. 2 when improved instrumentation and other modifications to the Pile have been installed; and that thereafter the reactor should be operated normally subject to certain modifications in procedure. I understand that the Atomic Energy Authority are studying the implications of the recommendations in the Report relating to the re-starting of Windscale Pile No. 2.
I should like to take this opportunity of expressing the gratitude of Her Majesty's Government for the work done by Sir Alexander Fleck, the members of the Technical Evaluation Committee and the Technical Working Parties.
Mr. HarrisonDoes this complete the series of reports or are we to expect still more before we can form a complete picture of what happened?
§ The Prime MinisterYes, Sir, this is the last of the series of reports. This is the technical one, which took longer to complete. This finishes the whole series, and this last one will, I think, be available at 3.45 p.m. today.
§ Mr. PalmerIs any figure available for the cost of this accident?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. I do not think I could give a figure.