§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what study he has made of the report by the National Radiological Protection Board, Didcot/Harwell, Report on the dumping of radioactive material into the sea; and what is his policy towards its conclusions.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsI have carefully studied the National Radiological Protection Board Report on the Deep Ocean Disposal of Radioactive Waste (NRPB— R14). I am now awaiting the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency as required under Article IV of the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter. This required the166W agency to define high-level radioactive wastes or other high-level radioactive matter as unsuitable for dumping at sea and to recommend criteria for the issue of permits for the dumping of other radioactive wastes or matter at sea. The agency appointed an international panel of experts to make recomendations on these matters and the panel made use of a paper prepared by a specialist group convened by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and based closely on the NRPB report. Both of these reports will be taken fully into account in deciding future United Kingdom practice for the dumping of radioactive waste into the sea.