§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Down (Mr. McGrady) on 9 June,Official Report, columns 146–47, if he will set out the methods by which the Government intend to carry out the option to return radioactive waste from British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.'s reprocessing activities for overseas customers; and whether reprocessing contracts signed by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority with overseas customers contain parallel return-to-sender options for nuclear waste arising from reprocessing.
§ Mr. EggarI have been asked to reply.
Since 1976, all contracts signed by British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for reprocessing overseas spent fuel have contained options for the return of wastes. As envisaged in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) on 2 May 1986 at columns 500–01, the option of substituting for less radioactive wastes an equivalent quantity, in radiological terms, of higher level wastes is being considered. BNFL has put forward proposals on these lines and the Radioactive Waste Management advisory committee has been asked for its views on the likely radiological and environmental impact for the United Kingdom.