§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the United Kingdom's civil plutonium holdings, indicating details of imports and exports. [104699]
§ Mrs. LiddellFigures for the United Kingdom's civil plutonium holdings are published by my Department each year and are placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The most recent were published on 21 June 1999 covering holdings at 31 December 1998.
The publication of these figures is in the format agreed by an informal group of nine countries, as part of the international guidelines on the management of national holdings of civil plutonium. This is a format which facilitates international comparisons on a consistent basis.
Information relating to exports and imports of plutonium is no longer published, but the figures for separated plutonium show both the holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to foreign bodies and the quantity of plutonium belonging to the United Kingdom which is held in locations in other countries as of 31 December each year.