§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement outlining the sequence of events leading to Her Majesty's Government offering to accept nuclear material from Iraq for reprocessing in Scotland; what offers of assistance in dealing with the material have been forthcoming from other countries; and what is the current position regarding the possible importation of the materials.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryFollowing an approach from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Government indicated that facilities at Dounreay would be available if required for making safe certain nuclear materials which will be removed from Iraq in accordance with Security Council resolution 687. The IAEA requested tenders for this work and an alliance of British and French companies submitted bids. It will be for the agency to assess these and any other offers received on technical and economic grounds.