§ 57. Mr. Stewardasked the Minister of Works how much Her Majesty's Government are offering prospectors per ton for uranium; and whether he is satisfied that uranium supplies will be sufficient to meet the demands of the British atomic project for as far as can be seen ahead.
§ Sir D. EcclesThere has been a standing offer for some years to purchase uranium minerals from Colonial Territories at prices dependent upon oxide content and other circumstances. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of an extract from the "Prospector's Guide to Radioactive Mineral Deposits," published by the Geological Survey, which gives details of the offer. So far, however, no large and economically workable deposits of uranium have been discovered in the Colonies. The United Kingdom obtains its uranium at present from Commonwealth and foreign countries through the joint Anglo-American purchasing arrangements, which are working satisfactorily.
So far as the future is concerned, I would refer my hon. Friend to my 15W answer to the hon. Member for Coventry, North (Mr. Edelman), on 16th March, to which I can at present add nothing.