§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what United Kingdom-French agreements govern the discharge of radioactive material from the La Hague nuclear reprocessing plant; and what notification the Channel Islands authorities received of such agreements. [10425]
39W
§ Angela EagleThere is no United Kingdom-France bilateral agreement governing the discharge radioactivity, although such an agreement concerning exchange of information in the event of accidental releases of radioactivity does exist.
The UK and France are, however, both signatories to various international conventions and treaties, and are active participants in the work of the many international organisations concerned with radioactivity. Most important is the Euratom treaty under which both the United Kingdom and France are legally bound to adhere to standards of protection from radiation, and to the provision of information on transboundary effects of radioactive waste disposal, including discharges from the La Hague nuclear reprocessing plant. The Channel Islands authorities are aware of these arrangements.
§ Mr. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what information at the time of the 1989 application for radioactive discharges from the La Hague nuclear reprocessing plant in France was made available to the United Kingdom regarding(a) detectable levels of radioactivity in the English channel and (b) studies made by the French authorities on the transport of radioactive materials from the discharge pipe. [10424]
§ Angela EagleAs regulation of nuclear installations is a matter for national authorities, France was not required to, nor did it, supply the United Kingdom Government with information concerning the 1989 developments at La Hague. However, under article 37 of the Euratom treaty, member states are required to supply general data to the European Commission relating to any plan for the disposal of radioactive waste, including discharges, in whatever form as will make it possible to determine whether the implementation of such plan is liable to result in the contamination of the water, soil or air space of another member state. Data concerning the plan for disposal of waste from the UP3 and the UP2–800 reprocessing plants at La Hague were provided by the French authorities to the Commission on 1 March 1989. United Kingdom experts assisted the Commission in its evaluation. The Commission opinion, that no contamination significant from the point of view of health would result, was published in theOfficial Journal of the European Communities dated 10 August 1989, copies of which are in the Library of the House.