§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what records she has of the(a) number of containers, (b) total weight and (c) geographical extent of dumping of radioactive waste which was deposited approximately 250 miles off Land's End during the 1960s and 1970s. [27191]
§ Mr. MeacherI have been asked to reply.
Details of all UK radioactive waste disposals in the north-east Atlantic have been made public and are available from a number of sources, including the "Report of the Independent Review of Disposal of Radioactive Waste in the North East Atlantic" (HMSO, 1984), copies of which are available in the Library of the House. The report contains data on the location of dumpsites, weight of material dumped, levels of activity and numbers of containers. The information on weight and numbers of containers is aggregated in the report for the whole period from 1949–82 during which the UK disposed of radioactive waste at sea. We estimate that, during the 1960s and 70s, around 41,000 tonnes were dumped in the north-east Atlantic in around 75,000 containers of various sizes and types. Radioactive waste disposals were also carried out in the north-east Atlantic by a number of other countries during this period.