§ 59. Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received concerning proposals to dump nuclear waste.
§ Mr. FoxThe disposal of low-level solid radioactive waste into shallow692W trenches and the dumping of suitably packaged low-level waste into the deep ocean are the subjects of occasional correspondence. There are no current proposals for disposing of high-level radioactive waste, but the Government have initiated an expanded long-term research programme into the feasibility of disposing of this waste on the bed of the deep ocean, under the seabed and underground.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment which organisations he has commissioned to make the necessary preliminary reconnaissances to possible sites for disposing of radioactive waste underground.
§ Mr. FoxThe Department's current programme of geological research is to investigate the characteristics and properties of a range of geological formations throughout Great Britain with a view to helping the Government in due course to assess the feasibility of disposing of radioactive waste underground and evaluate it against alternative disposal methods. My right hon. Friend has not commissioned any organisations to look for possible sites for underground disposal.