§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the decommissioning of the Merlin reactor at Aldermaston.
§ Mr. AitkenAlthough the Merlin reactor was situated within the parish of Aldermaston, it was never part of the atomic weapons establishment. The reactor was owned and operated by Associated Electrical Industries, which subsequently became part of GEC. Consequently, its decommissioning is not a matter for my Department.