§ Mr. Juddasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT details of all those measures which he is taking to evaluate whether present methods of disposal for nuclear waste and discarded nuclear equipment are completely safe and secure for an unlimited period of time; and whether he will make a statement on Government policy towards such disposal, pending an outcome of such evaluations.
§ Mr. EmeryThe bulk of the radioactive waste which arises from the nuclear power programme in this country is stored at Windscale in special facilities. These facilities are built to exceptionally high standards of integrity, and the relatively small volume of waste can be kept for as long as is necessary without hazard to the public in any foreseeable circumstances. These and other waste stores at licensed nuclear sites are subject to the approval of my Nuclear Installations Inspectorate which ensures that the very highest standards of safety are maintained.
Nevertheless research and development work is being pushed forward with the object of converting the wastes to forms which have the greatest resistance to dispersal. 448W For example, a process is now under development to incorporate the high level liquid wastes into an insoluble glass which can be more conveniently stored, and over long periods of time will require minimum surveillance. Processes for doing this have already been demonstrated on an experimental scale and effort is now concentrated on designing a safe and efficient full-scale plant. There is active international collaboration in this area under the sponsorship of the International Atomic Energy Agency and other bodies in which the United Kingdom is playing a full part.