§ 2. Mr. David Rendel (Newbury)How many job losses there have been at AWE Aldermaston since the new management consortium took over responsibility. [132985]
§ The Secretary of State for Defence(Mr. Geoffrey Hoon)I begin by apologising to you, Mr. Speaker, and to other Members of the House, for the absence of the Under-Secretary of State for Defence. I know that he set off to get here, but he has not yet arrived.
As at 16 October, a total of 197 jobs had been lost at the Atomic Weapons Establishment since 1 April under the voluntary redundancy scheme introduced by the new management contractor and approval has been given to a further 34 applications.
§ Mr. RendelI am sure that the Secretary of State has seen the recent report by the Environment Agency, which raised the concern that the company could not maintain proper environmental and safety standards. Will the right hon. Gentleman confirm, should the redundancy programme go ahead, that he has taken measures to ensure that redundancies will not cause environmental or safety concerns?
§ Mr. HoonI am surprised by the hon. Gentleman's comment. During the past three months, positive reports were published by Her Majesty's inspector of nuclear installations and the Environment Agency for England and Wales. The Environment Agency said:
Arrangements for the management control of radioactive wastes at AWE and also the training of employees are good.It also said that the initial impact of the new management systems, especially the environmental management systems, werepromising, and could potentially fully meet overall requirements in the near future.The Environment Agency gave a positive report on the first three months of operation of the new management contractor.
§ Mr. Peter L. Pike (Burnley)Does my right hon. Friend recognise that throughout the country there are fears— 496 BSE and the rail crisis, for example—about the possibility that information has been hidden and that staffing requirements may be cut? Will he give an assurance that no hidden secrets about Aldermaston will suddenly emerge, and that safety is absolutely paramount?
§ Mr. HoonWith regard to that operation, safety is absolutely paramount. I assure my hon. Friend that the contractor's obligations include the need to satisfy the Ministry of Defence and independent regulators about safety considerations arid that that will remain the case. I give him the assurance that he seeks.