§ Mr. Austin Mitchell (Great Grimsby)With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I wish to present a petition from the people of Humberside, which showeth
That United Kingdom Nirex Limited are looking for sites for the storage or disposal of radioactive waste. It is known that sites in Humberside are among those being considered. It is also known that the Secretary of State for the Environment is proposing to make a Special Development Order granting planning permission for related exploration 1286 purposes. The undersigned are totally and absolutely opposed to these proposals because they believe that they could threaten public safety, that they would seriously damage the area's economic and social development prospects and that radioactive waste should be stored or disposed of at the site of origin.Wherefore your Petitioners pray that your honourable House will under no circumstances approve a Special Development Order allowing preliminary site exploration or associated works in connection with the storage or disposal of radioactive waste in Humberside and will take all such action within the powers of the House to prevent a national radioactive waste storage or disposal facility being established in Humberside.The petition is signed by 1,550 signatories and it completes a series of petitions from Humberside which have been signed by over 160,000 people a tremendous voice from Humberside — asking the Minister not to agree to the special development order. Unfortunately, the Minister has betrayed those aspirations. I am afraid that we shall now pay the price in public opinion which, as a result, turns against the nuclear programme and is driven to more extreme action than signing petitions.
§ To lie upon the Table.