§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies have been undertaken by the Environment Agency to establish whether radioactive isotypes and toxins have leached into watercourses surrounding the Rolls Royce waste disposal site in Crich, Derbyshire; and if she will publish the results. [4396]
§ Mr. MeacherThe Environment Agency and its predecessor bodies has sampled water and silt in watercourses around Hilts Quarry, Crich over many years and the analysis results are available on the Agency's public registers. As part of its determination of two applications for revised radioactive waste disposal authorisations submitted by Rolls Royce Marine Power Operations Limited, the Agency has asked for further information and analysis to be undertaken. In particular the Agency asked Rolls Royce on 18 May 2001 to conduct a detailed analysis of the site under Regulation 15 of294W the Waste Management Licence Regulations 1994 (The Protection of Groundwater with Respect to Landfill). The assessment is likely to take six to 12 months, depending on the complexity of the investigation.
§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will take steps to close Rolls Royce's waste disposal site at Crich, Derbyshire; [4395]
(2) if she will take steps to ensure that the Rolls Royce waste disposal site in Crich, Derbyshire, is securely lined and that unauthorised access to the site is prohibited. [4303]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 16 July 2001]: Waste disposal sites operate under the terms of waste management licences and are subject to the controls set out in Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. The purpose of licences is to ensure that waste is disposed of in ways which protect the environment and human health. Failure to comply with a licence condition, or the disposal of waste in a manner likely to cause environmental pollution or harm to human health, is a criminal offence.
The Environment Agency has a legal duty to inspect all licensed sites and section 42 of the 1990 Act requires the Agency to take the steps needed to ensure that (a) the activities authorised by a licence do not cause environmental pollution, harm to human health or serious detriment to local amenities; and (b) the conditions of a licence are complied with. It is the responsibility of the Environment Agency to assess whether any steps are needed to ensure compliance with these provisions.
The Environment Agency may suspend or revoke a licence in the circumstances set out in section 38 of the 1990 Act. I understand that, on the basis of the evidence currently available to it, the Agency has no plans to serve a notice of suspension or revocation in relation to the licence for the Crich site.
However, I understand that the Environment Agency has initiated a review of the licence for the Crich site under regulation 15 of the 1994 Regulations. The aim of this review is to assess the impact, if any, of the disposal of waste on groundwater and to ensure its protection by the use, so far as may be necessary, of the Agency's powers under sections 37 and 38 of the 1990 Act (variation, suspension or revocation of licences). I am also advised that the current licence conditions for the Crich site require the licence holder to provide and maintain sites gates and boundary fencing in a manner which prohibits unauthorised access; and that the gates must be securely locked when the site is unmanned.
§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent measurements have been taken of levels of radioactivity in(a) water and (b) air at the Rolls Royce waste disposal site at Crich, Derbyshire. [4304]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 16 July 2001]: The Environment Agency took samples of water and silt in surrounding watercourses on 19 June 2001, and the analysis results were placed on the public register on 9 July 2001. This sampling exercise did not detect any 295W radioactivity above background levels. No air analysis is carried out in the Crich area, as the material from the Rolls Royce site in Derby is buried at the site.
§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of emissions from the Rolls Royce site at Crich, Derbyshire, on(a) local residential properties and (b) schools. [4305]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 16 July 2001]: The Environment Agency and its predecessor bodies has carried out assessments of the impact of emissions from the landfill site at Hilts Quarry, Crich, since the first authorisation was granted to Rolls Royce to dispose of very low level radioactive waste there in the 1960s. In the context of applications that Rolls Royce Marine Power Operations Ltd. made last year for the disposal of limited quantities of very low level radioactive waste, the Environment Agency is examining the continued suitability of the Crich site for this purpose. The Agency's assessment will include impacts in the vicinity of the site.