§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the estimated cost of transporting nuclear waste to each of the four proposed nuclear waste sites.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe overall cost of land transport of low level radioactive waste to any of the proposed disposal sites would be about £30 million (1985 values) over the period to 2030. Further details are given in "Assessment of Best Practicable Environtal Options for Management of Low and Intermediate Level Solid Radioactive Wastes", HMSO, March 1986.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to require local authorities within whose areas nuclear dumps may be located, to monitor radiation levels at the site.
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§ Mr. WaldegraveThis is not necessary. Disposal of radioactive waste at a NIREX site will be subject to authorisation under the provisions of the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. The authorisation will provide for adequate environmental monitoring by the site operator. Monitoring will also be carried out by Her Majesty's Radiochemical Inspectorate and inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he has any proposals for the improvement of procedures in communication between the Radiochemical Inspectorate and the local authority at which a nuclear dump may be sited; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will introduce legislation to require consultations between the Radiochemical Inspectorate and the technical officer of a local authority where nuclear waste is to be deposited; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveWe have no plans to introduce such legislation. Her Majesty's Radiochemical Inspectorate will liaise with local authorities as necessary.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how his Department monitors current safety standards for the disposal of nuclear waste at Drigg.
§ Mr. WaldegraveDisposals of radioactive waste at the Drigg site operated by British Nuclear Fuels plc are subject to controls under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. The certificates of authorisation issued under the Act contain limitations and conditions designed to ensure that the effects of disposal are regulated in accordance with the internationally recommended standards of radiological safety. Officers of the Radiochemical Inspectorate in my Department visit the premises where radioactive waste is produced to check that conditions of authorisation are being complied with. Regular inspections of the Drigg disposal site are also made. Leachate from trenches is collected and monitored during discharge and check samples are taken with particular reference to the levels of activity in the site stream.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much nuclear low level waste and intermediate level waste is generated in the United Kingdom as a result of reprocessing spent oxide fuel from Japan and West Germany.
§ Mr. WaldegraveNo Japanese fuel has been reprocessed in the United Kingdom to date. Some German oxide fuel was reprocessed in the early 1970s. This produced 11 cubic metres of intermediate-level waste and 200 cu m of low level waste.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much spent oxide fuel originally from Japan has been returned to Japan without having been reprocessed in the United Kingdom since 1979.
§ Mr. WaldegraveNo irradiated oxide fuel has been returned to Japan since 1979.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tonnes of spent oxide fuel have been reprocessed and returned to West Germany; how much consequent low level waste has been dumped in the United Kingdom from 1979 to date; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. WaldegraveNo West German oxide fuel has been reprocessed, or returned to West Germany since 1979 and therefore no low level waste has arisen from this source.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy that no imported nuclear waste, whether low level or intermediate, will be dumped in any new disposal sites.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThere are no plans to import nuclear waste.
§ Mr. Lyellasked the Secretry of State for the Environment what is the total volume of radioactive nuclear waste, differentiating between low level waste, intermediate level waste, and high level waste arising from different sources, namely: reprocessing, power stations, research, medical and industrial sources up to the year 2030 showing the amount from each of the above sources and the extent to which any of low level waste could be categorised as very low level waste.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe numbers of cubic metres of conditioned radioactive waste expected to arise from these sources up to 2030 are as follows:
Source HLN ILW LLW Reactors (committed and proposed) — 52,000 116,000 Reprocessing 8,300 87,000 *350,000 to 1,200,000 Research/Medical/ Industrial — 35,000 75,000 * Depending on the degree of compaction. Further details are given in research report number DOE/ RW/85–124.
§ Mr. Lyellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what volume of radioactive waste, either low level waste or intermediate level waste, could be reduced in volume either by compaction or incineration and to what extent, stating how far such compaction or incineration could cause such low level waste to be recategorised as intermediate level waste.
§ Mrs. RumboldI am advised that it is possible to reduce the volume of low level waste by at least a factor of three by compaction or incineration. Possibilities for further reduction are being investigated. It is unlikely that incineration could make it possible to recategorise any low level waste as intermediate level waste. Compaction leads to no change in categorisation.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will make it his policy to reply to Mrs. J. Bourne of 25 Edge avenue, Grimsby, about the South Killingholme potential nuclear waste disposal site in sufficient time for her to have a reasonable opportunity to reply before the special development order is laid; arid if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will make it his policy to reply to Councillor N. Perkins of Oakhurst, 66 Station road, Great Coates, Great Grimsby, about the South Killingholme potential nuclear waste disposal site in sufficient time for to have a reasonable opportunity to reply before the special development order is laid; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldI shall answer these questions shortly.