§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will list all ships which have been involved in the dumping of British nuclear waste in the Atlantic since 1954, indicating all voyages in which these ships dumped nuclear waste, the port of origin for each such voyage, the exact location of dumping for each such voyage and the amounts both in gross tonnes and amounts of nuclear activity (rads) of the cargo in each case.
§ Mr. MacGregorI have been asked to reply. The quantities of radioactive waste dumped in the Atlantic from 1954 to 1982 are listed in the following table in terms of (i) total weight (most of which is packaging) and (ii) total activity in both alpha and beta/gamma curies. No such waste has been dumped since 1982. Details of the ships used and port of loading are also given.
Development established a multilateral consultation and surveillance mechanism for sea dumping of radioactive waste.
An observer appointed in accordance with the mechanism has accompanied every United Kingdom dumping operation since that date. The observer is appointed by the director general of the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency as his representative and is responsible to 501W him. The observer's function is to ensure that the operation is carried out in accordance with the NEA's guidelines, including the mechanism itself. In addition, since 1980 my Department has also provided an observer experienced in navigation to ensure compliance with the terms of the licence granted under the Dumping at Sea Act 1974.