§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the present location of plutonium created in South of Scotland Electricity Board reactors at Hunterston A up to 1971 and reprocessed at Sellafield; and
What is the current tonnage and present location of plutonium created in Central Electricity Generating Board Magnox reactors (a) in the period 1962–69 and (b) in 1970–88, and subsequently reprocessed at Sellafield?
§ Baroness HooperDetails of the current tonnage and present location of plutonium within the UK, and originating from CEGB and SSEB magnox reactors were given in the annual plutonium figures published by my department on 13th October, 1988, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. In addition to the stocks mentioned in the publication, some half a tonne of plutonium from CEGB and SSEB magnox reactors has been exported for civil purposes to countries other than the United States.
Plutonium produced in the generating boards' magnox reactors was consigned to the United States before 1971 under the US/UK defence agreement and, as stated by the then Prime Minister on 21st April 1964 at columns 1097–98, has been used by the US for civil purposes. Because of the barter arrangements under whch plutonium was consigned, it would not be in the national interest to publish the figures.