§ Mr. LivingstoneTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 15 July 1998,Official Report, column 186, regarding the Atomic Weapons Establishment, if he will place in the Library 317W a list of the titles of the research projects, specifying the university concerned, and the duration and value of each project. [53159]
§ Mr. SpellarDetails of the research projects, their duration and values are commercially confidential and I must, therefore, withhold this information in accordance with Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information relating to Third party commercial confidences.
As I said in my answer of the 15 July 1998, Official Report, column 186, I will write to my hon. Friend regarding the universities involved and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list each incident involving(a) radioactive and (b) toxic material at (i) AWE Burghfield and (ii) AWE Aldermaston in the last five years. [52162]
§ Mr. SpellarThe information, in the form requested, is classified and I am, therefore, withholding it in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information relating to Defence, Security and International Relations.
However, in total over the last five years, there have been 802 incidents involving radioactive material, 12 of which have been injury incidents and 642 incidents involving toxic material, 281 of which have been injury incidents. All members of staff at AWE are encouraged to report incidents of all types as part of a safety awareness campaign and the majority of the injuries reported are of a very minor nature, such as cuts or abrasions.
These figures compare very favourably with industry in general and, over the past 5 years there has been a year on year reduction in the number of injury incidents. In fact, AWE have recently been awarded a Gold Award for workplace safety by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduced warhead production programme on radioactive emissions from AWE, Aldermaston. [52212]
Regular COs TA COs 1995 1996 1997 1998 1995 1996 1997 1998 Royal Armoured Corps 2 3 2 2 3 2 5 5 Royal Artillery 3 2 2 1 3 4 4 5 Royal Engineers 7 5 6 7 2 4 3 2 Royal Signals 6 8 7 5 5 3 4 6 Infantry 28 32 29 26 8 4 4 7 Army Air Corps — 1 1 1 — — — — Royal Logistic Corps 4 4 5 6 4 3 2 1 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 3 3 3 3 1 2 2 2 Army Medical Service 1 3 5 4 16 14 12 13 University Officer Training Corps 14 12 12 14 5 7 7 5 All figures are as at mid July which is the date at which COs would normally take up appointment. The figures for
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§ Mr. SpellarActivities such as decommissioning and maintaining safety standards within facilities make up by far the largest proportion of discharges from AWE, Aldermaston. The reduction in the number of warheads announced in the Strategic Defence Review is expected to have a minimal effect on emissions from the site.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the facilities intended to be decommissioned at AWE Aldermaston; and if he will make a statement on progress in decommissioning each of these facilities. [52163]
§ Mr. SpellarBuildings A37 and A50 at AWE, Aldermaston are currently undergoing decommissioning. Building A1.1 and parts of A45 are being prepared for decommissioning by Post Operative Clear Out, POCO. There will be a rolling programme of POCO and decommissioning as buildings come out of use in the future.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the total amount of radioactive waste to be generated as a result of decommissioning operations at AWE Aldermaston; how much of this waste is intended to be stored on-site; and what the total estimated cost of decommissioning will be. [52164]
§ Mr. SpellarThe current estimate of the amount of radioactive waste expected to result from the decommissioning of buildings at AWE, Aldermaston is based on a relatively small sample of completed work. It is, therefore, subject to confirmation. Measures to reduce the amount of waste generated during decommissioning can be expected to improve as more experience is gained.
Nonetheless, the current estimate is that a total of 39,000 cubic metres of radioactive waste will be generated in the next 10 years at AWE, Aldermaston. Of this, 3,000 cubic metres is expected to be categorised as Intermediate Level Waste and will be stored on site. The estimated cost of the associated decommissioning work over the 10 year period is some £460m.