§ Mr. Foulkesasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether research is being undertaken into the solidification of nuclear waste in forms other than vitrification, such as synthetic rocks or minerals; and what progress has been achieved.
§ Mr. KingApart from United Kingdom research into the HARVEST vitrification process, which is a batch process for solidifying high level liquid radioactive waste, research and development is being undertaken in other countries into various methods of immobilisation. France has developed a continuous 451W vitrification plant, known as the AVM process; work on alternative waste forms is in progress elsewhere, notably into synthetic rocks in the United States of America and Australia. The United Kingdom is following progress on these, and has also a small research effort of its own. My Department is about to initiate a review of all the known methods of immobilisation.