§ Lord Jenkins of Putneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place a moratorium on all construction of nuclear reactors until the problem of the disposal of nuclear waste is resolved.
§ Viscount UllswaterExtensive research in the UK and elsewhere has demonstrated that geological disposal of low and intermediate-level radioactive wastes is a practical and safe option now. Work is in hand to identify an appropriate location for a repository for these wastes. The problems which remain are primarily those of securing public acceptance for disposal facilities.
For high-level wastes, the government policy is that such wastes should be vitrified and then stored for a period of about 50 years to allow heat and radioactivity to decay before disposal. With regard to the construction of nuclear reactors, I refer the noble Lord to the Statement made by the Secretary of State for Energy in another place on 9th November.