§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will instruct Her Majesty's nuclear installations inspectorate to investigate the safety of the similar AGR plant of Hartlepool in respect of cracking problems as discovered at the Heysham and Dungeness AGR reactors.
§ Mr. Charles WardleI understand that a programme of periodic inspections is already undertaken at Hartlepool, where the superheater headers are similar to those at Heysham 1, where cracks have been found. The headers are included in the routine inspection programme. At the last such inspection at Hartlepool in June 1994, no cracks were identified in the equivalent header welds. As a precautionary measure, the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate has agreed with the operator, Nuclear Electric, a programme of additional inspections.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what reports have been brought to his attention by 221W the nuclear installations inspectorate over the past two years in regard to the discovery of cracks found in the steam generator of the boilers at the Heysham A and Dungeness B nuclear plants; and what decisions he has taken in response to the nuclear installations inspectorate reports.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThe Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate does not report to this Department on its day-to-day inspection activities at nuclear power plants. The answer I gave to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 19 January,Official Report, column 589, referred to the action being taken by Nuclear Electric on cracks discovered at Dungeness B and Heysham 1 and explained that both plants would be brought back into operation only once the NII is satisfied that it is safe for them to do so.