§ Mr. Michael Spicerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when the revised explanatory memorandum to the Radioactive Substances Act 1980 will appear; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Giles ShawAn updated and expanded version of the explanatory memorandum has been published today by HMSO under the title "Radioactive Substances Act 1960: a guide to the administration of the Act". This is a joint publication of the Department of the Environment, the Scottish and Welsh Offices and the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, and replaces the explanatory memorandum published in 1963 when the Act came into force. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
The purpose of the guide is to help the ordinary user of radioactive substances by explaining what the law is, and how he can comply with it. It summarises the disposal methods which are appropriate to the various kinds of low-level wastes that such users produce.
The original explanatory memorandum was based on the report of an expert panel which formed an appendix to the 1959 White Paper (Cmnd. 884). The administration of the Act was reviewed by an expert group set up for the purpose by my Department and drawn mainly from the regulatory bodies and the nuclear industry, but with some independent members. Its report was published in September 1979. The independent Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee has endorsed the conclusions about disposal methods, and expressed general satisfaction with the system of control under the 1960 Act and the way it is operated.
On the basis of the expert group's report, the guide now gives more detailed guidance about methods of disposal, 344W and this is followed in the current practice of the inspectorates. References have been added to various administrative procedures which supplement the Act, for example for radioactive substances in National Health Service hospitals, and for consultation with local authorities even in cases where the Act does not require that. The guide also now takes account of changes in organisation since 1963 and the change to SI units.
The exemption orders under the 1960 Act are being reviewed and, as recommended by the expert group, certain further categories of very low-level radioactive substances will be exempted. A supplement to the guide will be issued when the amending orders have been made. The Government are confident that current practices and standards are radiologically satisfactory and fully safeguard the public. But we shall also ensure that they continue to be reviewed from time to time in the light of new developments.