§ Mr. Masonasked the Prime Minister to what extent new discoveries in the field of thermonuclear research for peaceful purposes have recently enabled Her Majesty's Government to re-assess the possibilities of the introduction of harnessed thermonuclear power; when he expects the modified Zero Energy Thermonuclear Assembly to be ready for further experimentation; and to what extent Her Majesty's Government have ordered a speed up of the building of Zero Energy Thermonuclear Assembly II.
§ The Prime MinisterThere has been no recent reassessment of the possibilities of thermonuclear power production. The project enjoys the highest priority, but it is still in the research stage, and many years of research and development may 65W be needed before it provides a useful source of power.
I am informed by the Atomic Energy Authority that the work with the modified Zero Energy Thermonuclear Assembly is likely to restart towards the end of the summer, and that experimental work is continuing while it is dismantled.