§ 28. Mr. Skeetasked the Parliamentary Secretary for Science what are the relations between his Department and 1111 the Atomic Energy Authority and Euratom; and if he will give a report on recent discussions.
§ Mr. Denzil FreethMy noble Friend and the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Authority are members of the United Kingdom/Euratom Continuing Committee, set up under the Agreement for Co-operation of 1959. The President of the Commission and one of the Commissioners are the Euratom members. A successful meeting of this Committee was recently held at Ispra, near Milan, at which a number of possibilities for furthering co-operation were considered and remitted to the standing Joint Working Group of officials for further examination.
§ Mr. SkeetIn view of the preeminence of England and Scotland in the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, what precisely has Euratom to contribute to the United Kingdom in nuclear technology? Will my hon. Friend indicate from his consultations on atomic energy what is the break-even point for nuclear power in Europe?
§ Mr. FreethI should like to have notice of the last part of that supplementary question, because the calculations which Europeans make are ones for which, naturally, I am not responsible. As for the first part, I think that there are many fields where cooperation can be fruitful and where Euratom research may be able to help us, just as our research might be able to help them. I think that we may have an exchange of information on fast reactor developments and on the reprocessing in the United Kingdom of irradiated fuel from Euratom countries and co-operation, particularly in biology and in safety standards.
§ Mr. FreethIf my hon. Friend would like to put a specific Question about the benefits obtained from co-operation hitherto, I would willingly answer it. At a recent meeting of the United Kingdom Euratom Continuing Committee, at which I was present, it was obvious that there were fields where co-operation could be mutually advantageous.