Radiological Emergencies (Hansard, 8 December 1992)

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) if she will provide regular updated information using non-technical language to the general public on the hazards of a potential radiological emergency in the United Kingdom;
(2) if she will target information on the hazards of a potential radiological emergency to (a) pregnant women and (b) emergency service personnel.

§ Mr. McLoughlin
The "Public Information for Radiation Emergencies Regulations", which transpose the requirements of EC directive 89/618/Euratom into national legislation, was laid before the House on 8 December 1992. These regulations will require employers who conduct undertakings from which a radiation emergency is reasonably forseeable to provide prescribed items of information to members of the public likely to be affected by any such emergency. This information needs to cover the likely emergencies that could arise, their consequencies and the planned health protection measures for members of the public. The information also needs to be made publicly available and regularly updated.
The Health and Safety Executive is producing guidance on the regulations, particularly aimed at assisting those with duties under them. In additon to this, the Health and Safety Executive produced guidance in 1991 which gave advice to emergency services personnel on the control of radiation exposure in the event of a radiation emergency.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make it her policy to promote a standard national warning system to be operated during peacetime radiological emergencies.

§ Mr. McLoughlin
No. In the event of an accident at a civil licenced nuclear site having potential radiological effects off-site, the emergency plan prepared by the site's operator and approved by the Health and Safety Executive requires the operator to alert and inform the police. They will inform people in the vicinity of the site. Others at a greater distance from the site will be kept informed by special announcements on local radio and television.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will make it her policy to extend the detailed planning arrangements for reference accidents for the different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle to cover larger accidents.

§ Mr. Eggar
I have been asked to reply.
615W
No. I consider that the present arrangements are adequate. At each major installation, detailed emergency planning is based on the worst nuclear accident that is reasonably foreseeable, known as the reference accident. These plans form the basis for an extended response in the very unlikely event that a more severe accident should occur.