§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he accepts the findings and recommendations set forth in the report entitled "An assessment of the integrity of PWR pressure vessels undertaken by the Atomic Energy Authority."
§ Mr. BennThis report is one input into the study of generic safety issues connected with the PWR which the Government have asked the Nuclear installations Inspectorate to undertake. It would, therefore, be wrong for me to comment on it.
§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is prepared to initiate further research into metallurgical changes undergone by steel pressure vessels due to radiation, high temperatures and pressures and molecular changes during the period of their life span.
§ Mr. BennThe United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has, for many years, had ongoing programmes of research into the influence of radiation, temperature and other variables on the mechanical properties and metallurgical condition of steels such as those used in pressure vessels. Much of this research is carried out at the Risley and Harwell establishments and is published in the scientific literature. The authority is considering what further research on these problems is necessary in the light of the recomendations contained in the recent report on the integrity of PWR pressure vessels, prepared by a study group under the chairmanship of Dr. W. Marshall.