Radioactive Contamination (Hansard, 20 February 1961)

§ 49. Mr. Manuel
asked the Minister of Power if he is satisfied that the present arrangements for insurance against 23 damage caused by radioactive contamination are sufficient to cover all possibilities of such damage to persons, livestock, and materials; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. George
Under the Nuclear Installations (Licensing and Insurance) Act, 1959, operators of nuclear installations, other than the Atomic Energy Authority and Government Departments, must insure or provide cover by other approved means in the sum of £5 million. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that this sum is sufficient to cover all possibilities of damage by direct radiation or radioactive contamination which could arise from any foreseeable accident. If £5 million were insufficient to meet claims, the Act provides for Parliament to decide how the claims shall be met.

§ Mr. Manuel
The hon. Gentleman will be aware, no doubt, that insurance brokers and insurance companies are issuing this document, which I hold in my hand, to people affected in the areas of these sites where radioactive contamination could take place? Could he inform the House what arrangements are available at American bases, say at the Polaris base in Scotland, where radioactive waste and other effluents have to be disposed of? Is this covered by the Radioactive Substances Act? Are the present Government going to be responsible for that— [HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."] —or can the hon. Gentleman tell the House that some arrangements have been made with the American Government— [HON. MEMBERS: "Speech."] —Mr. Speaker, this is a very important matter. I have been approached by a constituent.

§ Mr. Speaker
No one is complaining about the importance of this Question; the complaint is about the length of the supplementary question. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman can bring it to an end.

§ Mr. Manuel
On a point of order. I did not hear you pulling me up because of the length of my supplementary question, Mr. Speaker. I heard hon. Members opposite trying to pull me up. However, if you agree that they were right in what they were doing, I am prepared to sit down again.

§ Mr. Speaker
It is not as bad as that, but I hope the hon. Gentleman can bring his question to an end.

§ Mr. Manuel
Is the hon. Gentleman aware that certain constituents of mine want to know if there is the same cover for American bases, especially the Polaris base in Scotland, as there is for British bases which are covered by the 1959 Act which the hon. Gentleman mentioned?

§ Mr. George
Any question about the Polaris base is a matter for my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty. As it is a Government matter, the question of insurance does not arise.

§ Mr. Manuel
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I have your guidance on this matter? I have been trying to get this Question answered for several weeks. I put it down to the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister, but I was informed that it was not possible for him to answer it and that inquiries about radioactive substances should be addressed to the Minister of Power who was responsible for such questions. I do not think the Parliamentary Secretary should evade his responsibilities and shelve the question as he has done.

§ Mr. George
I can assure the hon. Gentleman that there is no question of evading responsibilities, but there is no intention of assuming other people's responsibilities.

§ Mr. C. Pannell
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. As I understand it, from time to time Members put down Questions which are transferred to other Ministers. That is really a matter for the Table, but I cannot remember a precedent—

§ Mr. Speaker
The hon. Member is under some illusion. Transfer is one of the matters which are not the responsibility of the Table.

§ Mr. Pannell
If I stand corrected on that, then it is a transfer within the Government itself. Apparently on this occasion the Question was not so transferred; it was allowed by the Government agency to stay with the Minister to whom it was addressed. It is an abuse against which you must protect us if Ministers are going to give such a reply as we have heard this afternoon. It is evading responsibility in such a situation.

§ Mr. George
The hon. Gentleman, of course, is quite wrong—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The point of order was addressed to me. I should like to look textually at the hon. Member's question which seemed to relate to matters of insurance. There was a certain amount of noise and interruption, and I should like to look at it before I say anything about the subject matter. But this should be clear. Transfer, where transfer occurs—and here it did not—is never a matter for the Chair, nor is it within the power of the Chair to compel any Minister to answer a question if he chooses not to do so. That is the difficulty.

§ Mr. Manuel
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. That is not the point, and I mean no disrespect to you in saying that. I put down the Question to the right hon. Gentleman the Prime Minister. I was told at the Table Office, after the officers there had investigated very fully and had gone to great pains to satisfy themselves as to the correctness of the procedure, that the Question ought to be addressed to the Minister of Power. I accepted that. Today the Parliamentary Secretary says that it is a matter for the Prime Minister. That is the position we are in, and we must have some help.

§ Mr. Speaker
I did not hear the Parliamentary Secretary say that. I assure the hon. Member that I have got the point, but it still remains the fact that I cannot compel a Minister to answer a question if he does not want to do so.