§ 12. Mr. Edwin Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the names of the nuclear power stations now under construction, the dates of completion, the number of men employed during construction, and the number of men required after completion; and if he will make a statement of the Government's future programme.
§ Mr. John DaviesI will ask the Chairman of the C.E.G.B. to write to the hon. Member giving him the detailed information about nuclear power stations under construction. As to the future power station building programme, two of the four stations announced by the previous Government last year are to be nuclear. It would be premature to make a statement about the possible programme beyond that.
§ Mr. WainwrightThe Secretary of State will be aware of the damage done to some steel components by the carbon dioxide coolant used in the Bradwell type of reactor. Has this imperfection been overcome? What developments have occurred in selling reactors abroad, especially in connection with the one now in negotiation with Australia?
§ Mr. DaviesI will communicate privately with the hon. Gentleman about the remedies found for the defects to which he referred. As to the latter part of his supplementary question, discussions are still in course. It would be wrong to infer from what the hon. Gentleman said that the extent of trouble, which I admit, with the commissioning of nuclear generating plant should be regarded as being in any sense a general condemnation of the wisdom of such installations.