§ 7. Mr. Martyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the Government's latest prediction of the levels of nuclear waste to be disposed of in the United Kingdom in the years 1990–95.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. David Heathcoat-Amory)About 125,000 cu m of low level radioactive waste will be disposed of to Drigg during the next five years.
§ Mr. JonesIs the Minister aware that the Chernobyl incident released about 50 million curies of radioactivity, and that we already have 5,000 million curies of high-level radioactive waste stored at Sellafield? Is not it foolhardy to continue importing such waste from other countries in even greater amounts over the next five years when we do not know how to dispose of that which we already have?
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryWe do not import radioactive waste. We import spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing and since 1976 all contracts provide for the eventual return of the waste arising to the countries concerned.
§ Mr. Ian BruceWill my right hon. Friend confirm that reducing our nuclear energy production and burning more coal would create more waste products such as carbon dioxide, which causes global warming, and that far more radiation comes from spent ash than from the sort of manageable waste produced by the nuclear power industry?
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThat is a fair point. Every industry and every form of power generation should take responsibility for its emissions.