§ Mr. Skeetasked the Secretary of State for Energy, following the abandonment of the SGHWR as a commercial project for nuclear power stations, what additional work and what type of work has been transferred to Winfrith Heath, Dorset.
§ Mr. Norman LamontThe abandonment of the SGHWR as a commercial reactor system allowed Winfrith to redeploy skilled resources on important work in the nuclear field which was not being done elsewhere. Much of this new work is under contract to BNFL and other outside organisations. The contracts include work on irradiated fuel transport flasks and the disposal of radioactive waste. In addition, the establishment has an important programme of work on PWR safety and deploys a team on behalf of the Department of Energy on North Sea oil recovery.
18W
§ Mr. Norman LamontFast reactor policy, including the possibilities for international collaboration, is under review, and no decisions have been taken. The Government have undertaken that any decision to build a full scale fast reactor in the United Kingdom would be subject to a full and thorough public inquiry. However, there are no plans for any inquiry into projects outside the United Kingdom nor do I think one would be appropriate.