§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on how many occasions nuclear materials have been withdrawn from safeguards under the provisions of the Tripartite Agreement between the UK, Euratom and IAEA since May 1997; and if he will list the nuclear establishments involved and respective reasons for withdrawal. [104701]
§ Dr. HowellsBetween May 1997 and the end of 1999 there were 20 advance notifications of the withdrawal of nuclear material from safeguards pursuant to Article 14 of the UK/AEA/Euratom Safeguards Agreement. The486W withdrawals comprised small quantities of material for use in instrument calibration or radiation detectors, or as analytical tracers or radiological shielding. The organisations from which the withdrawals took place were UKAEA Harwell, the National Physical Laboratory, Nycomed Amersham, Centronics Ltd., and RSL Equipment Ltd. The establishments to which the material concerned was transferred were AWE Aldermaston, HM Naval Base Devonport, DERA Gosport and NRTE Vulcan, Dounreay.
As indicated by the previous Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle), in his answer of 19 October 1998, Official Report, column 1046W, a study of data on withdrawals from safeguards which took place prior to announcement of the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) is being conducted, the outcome of which will be made public later this year.