§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give details of his assessment of the environmental hazards involved in the transport of radioactive material by sea, assuming the worst case scenario of a ship carrying plutonium.
§ Mr. Norris[holding answer 9 March 1993]: Her Majesty's nuclear installations inspectorate published a safety assessment on the transport of plutonium in the form of nitrate solution between Dounreay and Sellafield in 1979. A further study into the radiological consequences of the loss at sea of the contents of a plutonium package was carried out by the safety and reliability directorate of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority in 1984. Copies of both reports are available in the Library.