HC Deb 31 October 1975 vol 898 cc637-8W
Mr. Hoyle

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) in view of the plan to import 4,000 tons of nuclear waste from Japan what precautions are being taken to avoid a build up from the Wind-scale pipe which discharges diluted waste into the sea;

(2) in view of previous chimney leaks what precautions are being taken to ensure that these do not occur with the increase in nuclear waste;

(3) what increase in nuclear waste is expected from the pipeline from Wind-scale; and how wide is the area likely to be affected;

(4) what precautions are being taken to avoid leakage of the nuclear waste from Japan when it is unloaded at Barrow-in-Furness;

(5) what precautions are being taken to avoid leakage of the nuclear waste from Japan when it is being transported from Barrow-in-Furness to Windscale.

Dr. Gilbert

The Government have not yet reached a final decision on the plan to which my hon. Friend refers. The need to ensure that the fuel could be safely transported and that discharges to the environment could be contained within safe levels are of course among the considerations that are uppermost in our minds.