§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what report he has received from the Environment Agency in respect of Nirex's assessment of the likely destruction of geological information from the construction of a rock characterisation facility at Sellafield. [17729]
§ Mr. GummerNone.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what plans he has for public consultation on(a) the groundwater pressure data and (b) Nirex's revised interpretation of the base line hydrogeology before he makes a decision on the proposed rock characterisation facility at Sellafield; [17734]
(2) what plans he has for consulting interested parties regarding the impact on base line hydrogeology of the proposed rock characterisation facility, at Sellafield. [17735]
465W
§ Mr. GummerI am considering the matter.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what information Nirex has provided to him in respect of independent peer review of the base line groundwater pressure dataset relating to the proposed rock characterisation facility at Sellafield; [17736]
(2) what assessment he has made of the relevance of the hydrogeological base line dataset to the safety case of a nuclear repository at Sellafield. [17733]
§ Mr. GummerI refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 23 January,Official Report,column 678.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what advice the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee has given to his Department regarding consultation with interested parties over the base line hydrogeological effects of the proposed rock characterisation facility at Sellafield. [17737]
§ Mr. GummerNone. However, in the response that the committee published in February 1993 to UK Nirex Limited's "Consultative Document on a Rock Characterisation Facility", RWMAC said that it would be important to ensure that the base hydrogeological regime in the region of the potential repository site and the extent of monitoring was agreed by independent peer review or other means with as many interested parties as possible and that a period of 18 months to two years of monitoring prior to the commencement of shaft sinking would be regarded as normal practice.
In September 1995, the committee published a report, "Review of aspects of the scientific mission and role of the Nirex Rock Characterisation Facility at Sellafield", made in response to requests by UK Nirex Limited and Cumbria county council. In this, the committee said that its recommendations over timing remained, but were now likely to be met
in view of the interpolation of the RCF planning inquiry into the overall repository programme.The committee said that the proposed peer review should be published prior to the start of RCF shaft excavation.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what arrangements were made for peer review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution of the Nirex proposal to begin construction work at the proposed nuclear waste repository site during the public inquiry into the proposed RCF at Sellafield. [17981]
§ Mr. GummerI am not aware of any such proposal.
§ Mr. MeacherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what cost recovery arrangements have existed between HMIP and Nirex since the public inquiry into the proposed rock characterisation facility at Sellafield. [17980]
§ Mr. GummerNone. HMIP's previous agreement with UK Nirex Limited ended in September 1994, following notice of termination given by the company. The Environment Agency is currently consulting publicly on the terms of a new agreement that it is minded to enter into with Nirex.