§ 11.15 a.m.
§ Viscount HanworthMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of the concern about the transport of nuclear fuel rods by rail, they will examine the provisions for the safe transport of dangerous chemicals which may provide a greater risk to the public than the already well-protected nuclear fuel rods.
§ Lord Lucas of ChilworthMy Lords, the carriage of dangerous goods by rail is governed by British Rail's conditions of carriage and acceptance. The transport by road of dangerous gases and chemicals in bulk is covered by regulations made in 1981 which cover the construction of the vehicles, their labelling and the training of drivers. Earlier this year the Health and Safety Commission published proposals to apply similar controls to the transport by road of dangerous substances in packages. These will form part of a comprehensive system of controls under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
§ Viscount HanworthMy Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Does he agree that the tests which are shortly to take place on the carrying flasks for nuclear rods are important in so far as they will tend to reassure the public, who are in my view quite unnecessarily worried by this risk? But will he also try to persuade the public that as a long-term measure the dangers of transporting these nuclear fuel rods, even if the flasks were not as substantial as they are, pale in significance beside the other dangers of chemicals transported by road, of which I shall give only two instances: first, petro-ethyl lead, which is used in petrol, three drops of which on the skin can be fatal; 517 and, secondly, liquid gases such as propane, where a road accident during transportation could be far worse than is likely with nuclear fuel rods.
§ Lord Lucas of ChilworthMy Lords, the £4 million programme being conducted by the CEGB in connection with the safety of the flasks for containing nuclear spent fuels is part of a programme to do just that which the noble Viscount suggests. There have been no accidents involving flasks and involving injury to persons certainly in the past 20 years. With regard to the carriage of dangerous gases by road tankers, the noble Viscount will know that LPG and petro-ethyl lead is covered by the 1981 road tanker regulations. There are some 2.5 million tanker journeys undertaken each year in this country, and the only incident involving serious injury was in 1972.