§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will make a statement on the safety of the United Kingdom's nuclear reprocessing facilities. [26387]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 30 January 1998]: Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel takes place at two sites in the UK: BNFL'S Sellafield site in Cumbria and the UKAEA's Dounreay site in Caithness. Both these sites are subject to the nuclear safety regulatory system enforced by the nuclear industry's independent safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Under the nuclear site licensing regime, continued operation of any civil nuclear installation, including reprocessing facilities, is dependent on the HSE being satisfied about its safety.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if nuclear reprocessing will continue at each of the present sites in the United Kingdom. [26386]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 30 January 1998]: Subject to satisfying the regulatory requirements on safety and discharges, BNFL and UKAEA can be expected to fulfil their contractual commitments to reprocess spent nuclear fuel for their customers.