HC Deb 11 March 1980 vol 980 cc517-8W
Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for Energy why it is considered necessary to ship plutonium nitrate solution from Dounreay to Windscale.

Mr. Norman Lamont

I would refer the right hon. Member to the note by my Department placed by me in the Library on 5 February. This explains that the next stage of the UKAEA's fast reactor development programme requires the PFR at Dourneay to be fuelled with plutonium recovered from fuel irradiated in the reactor itself. Plutonium nitrate moved to Windscale will therefore be converted to plutonium oxide and fabricated into fuel elements. There are no facilities to do this at Dounreay.

Mr. David Steel

asked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if the assessment carried out by his Department into the security implications of the shipment of plutonium nitrate from Dounreay to Windscale has been submitted to him in the form of a report;

(2) if he will publish his Department's study of the security implications of the shipment of plutonium from Dounreay to Windscale.

Mr. Norman Lamont

I will answer the hon. Gentleman as soon as possible.