HL Deb 18 December 1996 vol 576 c138WA
Lord Jenkins of Putney

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Answer given by the Baroness Miller of Hendon on 7th November (H.L. Deb., col. WA 72), whether the plutonium shipment in question was carried in a Type B container built to withstand a fall of 30 feet.

Lord Fraser of Carmyllie

The shipment of unirradiated fuel referred to in H.L. Deb., col.WA 72, was carried in a Type B container. Transport of unirradiated fuel is a well established and well regulated activity where safety is vested in the package and not the method of transport. Type B containers are designed and built to withstand serious accident conditions and are proved by a number of tests, including a fall from 30 feet on to an effectively unyielding target.