§ 7. Mr. RathboneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when next he plans to visit Lewes to discuss conservation matters. [17911]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordMy right hon. Friend has no plans to visit Lewes at present.
§ Mr. RathboneWill my hon. Friend please pass to his right hon. Friend the regrets at that news and the hope that he will be able to accommodate a visit as soon as possible? When he comes, he will be welcome. While there, will he take advantage of that presence to reassure my constituents that the Government have no plans for 200 additional dumping of radioactive waste at Beddingham pit in the beautiful Ouse valley south of Lewes? Will he give an assurance that inspectors' reports on the standards maintained at that pit will be published more quickly in the future than they have been in the past?
§ Mr. MackinlayI suppose the hon. Gentleman thinks that they should stick the waste in a working-class area.
§ Sir Paul BeresfordI understand that an application exists to take the load from my hon. Friend's area and to move it to Thurrock. Leaving that to one side, however, I assure my hon. Friend that there is no dumping. There is disposal of very low-level radioactive waste, which comes from one source only—the university. We are talking about things such as gloves and radioactive wrappings. No plans exist to expand on that. I understand that Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is working hard to respond to my hon. Friend's last request to speed up reporting.