§ 15. Mr. Howellsasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will appoint to the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive independent experts who are not directly involved in the nuclear industry.
§ Mr. Patrick JenkinI have not so far considered that there was justification for this, but I am considering 849 representations by the Trades Union Congress and a recommendation by the Royal Commission on environmental pollution in its tenth report.
§ Mr. HowellsDoes the right hon. Gentleman agree with the decision of the directors of ICI not to co-operate in the building of a nuclear waste dump at Billingham?
§ Mr. JenkinThe hon. Gentleman should recognise the distinction in the roles of NIREX on the one hand and my Department on the other. The Government's role is not to select sites but to ensure that there is adequate machinery for a rigorous, impartial and public scrutiny of the proposals. NIREX identified the Billingham mine as a potentially suitable site on geological grounds, and it has said that it will go on to identify other potentially suitable sites for consideration. Clearly, the decision by ICI—I totally understand the reasons that led the board to come to that decision—is a material factor in NIREX's search for a suitable site for disposal.