Nuclear Waste (Hansard, 12 January 1998)

§ 11. Mr. Baker
What plans he has to reduce the stockpile of nuclear waste held at MOD establishments. [20206]

§ Mr. Spellar
My Department's plan to reduce its accumulated intermediate-level waste is dependent upon the national strategy for disposal of waste of this type which is being developed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. MOD's low-level waste is disposed of through established routes.

§ Mr. Baker
Does the Minister share my concern about the answers I was given to written questions on 16 December, which show that there are 11 decommissioned—or in the process of being decommissioned—nuclear submarines, two of them at Rosyth, which contain high-level nuclear waste? There is also more than 2,500 cu m of intermediate nuclear waste at Aldermaston. Is it not irresponsible to create so much nuclear waste in the first place and is it not even more irresponsible to hold such waste close to areas of population? Will the Minister set a deadline for the removal of all intermediate and high-level waste from MOD sites?

§ Mr. Spellar
That was a highly complicated and varied question, most of which was factually inaccurate. The Department holds no high-level nuclear waste. The submarines at Rosyth have been decommissioned and are regularly inspected. They do not contain any major levels of nuclear radiation—indeed, we are waiting while the level reduces further. If the hon. Gentleman had listened to my reply, he would have heard me say that, for the problem of intermediate-level nuclear waste, we are waiting for a national strategy following the rejection by the previous Administration of the Nirex—Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive—proposals. Like the rest of the nuclear industry, we shall be covered by that strategy.
Obviously we are taking, as we always do, the utmost care in dealing with the levels of nuclear waste that we have. Low-level nuclear waste, which is ultimately transported to the national site at Drigg, is material, such as gloves and overalls, which is at a low level of contamination. We take our responsibilities seriously and we are awaiting the responses of other Departments to build the national picture.

§ Mr. Cousins
Can the Minister give the House an assurance that when, as required by the Treasury, his Department goes over to resource accounting, full provision will be made in published departmental accounts for the decommissioning costs of all nuclear waste, stockpiles and materials, contaminated land and buildings?

§ Mr. Spellar
Similar considerations will apply not only to the Ministry of Defence but to a wide range of civil nuclear facilities. Inevitably, we shall need to look precisely at decommissioning nuclear submarines. As I have said, we have removed the reactor cores from the submarines, and they therefore have relatively low and decreasing levels of radioactivity. We are awaiting a response from the Department of the Environment, 15 Transport and the Regions on the disposal of other nuclear waste. Obviously, nuclear waste decontamination and disposal is dependent on a national strategy for the industry, and is not simply a matter for the Ministry of Defence.