§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) which radioactive materials could be dumped on any tip at Rixton, Warrington, under present restrictions; and which could not;
(2) if he will refuse any application to dump radioactive materials at Rixton, Warrington;
(3) if (a) the Old Hall tip or (b) any other tip at Rixton, Warrington is licensed to receive radioactive materials.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneUnder the Radioactive Substances Act 1960 any authorisation for disposal of radioactive waste to a landfill site is given by my Department in relation to specified wastes, as well as for a specified site. The conditions in the authorisation ensure that the level of radioactivity in the waste is sufficiently low, and its nature is such that any hazard is avoided. The guide to the administration of the Act, published by the United Kingdom Environment Departments, summarises the established practice on matching particular levels and types of activity to particular disposal routes.
To date no authorisations have been issued for any landfill site at Rixton, Warrington. A decision on the current proposal in respect of the Old Hall tip, Rixton, will be made on the basis of a full technical assessment by my Department's radiochemical inspectorate and after consultations with the local and water authorities for the area.
§ Mr. John Evansasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the composition, and what are the characteristics of the radioactive materials which it has been proposed should be dumped at Rixton, Warrington and which were referred to in his answer of 29 March.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThe material in question consists of waste catalyst sludge from an industrial process. It contains a small proportion of depleted uranium at an average concentration of 10 milligrams of uranium per gram of sludge or about 150 Bequerels per gram of sludge. It is material suitable for disposal by controlled burial. The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution concluded in its sixth report that burial of this type of waste is radiologically quite innocuous.