§ Mr. Fienburghasked the Minister of Supply if he will make a statement on the future development and control of atomic energy research.
§ Mr. SandysI would refer the hon. Member to the statement by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on this subject last Tuesday.
§ Sir R. Glynasked the Minister of Supply the respective functions of his Department's atomic energy establishments at Aldermaston, Amersham, Capenhurst, Harwell, Risley, Spring-fields and Windscale.
§ Mr. SandysThe establishments named are engaged on atomic research, development and production for military and civil purposes.
The Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell, in Berkshire, is responsible for fundamental research into nuclear physics and atomic energy, and provides basic scientific information to the other Establishments.
The Radio-chemical Centre at Amersham, in Buckinghamshire, is a dependency of the Harwell Establishment. It 7W is concerned with preparing radio-active substances such as radium, radon and radio-active isotopes produced in the atomic piles. These are used for medical, scientific and industrial purposes.
The production of fissile material is directed from headquarters at Risley, near Warrington, where the design and planning offices are situated. Production factories are situated: at Springfields, near Preston, where pure uranium is produced from uranium concentrates; at Wind-scale, in Cumberland, where plutonium is produced from uranium by means of atomic piles; at Capenhurst, in Cheshire, where there is a gaseous diffusion plant for separating the uranium isotope U.235 from the more abundant isotope U.238 thus providing a fissile material which can be used as an alternative to plutonium.
Research work on atomic weapons is carried on at the Establishment as Aldermaston, in Berkshire, and its out-stations at Woolwich and Fort Halstead.