§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what the position is as regards the disclosure to America of the complete commercial know-how gained by Calder Hall about atomic energy power stations; and whether they can state that for details of H-bomb test results there will be no bartering away of commercial atomic energy secrets which would enable America, within a few years, with her huge production facilities, to overhaul and pass Britain's strong lead in the field of atomic reactors.]
4THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE EARL OF GOSFORD)My Lords, In June, 1957, the Atomic Energy Authority as part of their continuing exchange of information with the United States Atomic Energy Commission, agreed to make available to the Commission details of the design of the Calder Hall reactors as at January 1, 1957. In June this year the scope of the exchange was widened to include information about standard Calder Hall fuel elements. All the above information relates only to the Authority's own dual-purpose reactors. Information developed from Calder Hall and incorporated by industry in their latest nuclear power station designs is not and will not be included. As to the second part of the noble Viscount's Question, the agreement signed in Washington on July 3, and now before Congress, is concerned exclusively with co-operation on the uses of atomic energy for defence and is in no way connected with the arrangements for co-operation on civil uses.
VISCOUNT ELIBANKMy Lords, I thank the noble Earl for his Answer to my Question. I hope that it will be satisfactory to the industry.