§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Defence what check he makes on the adequancy of cooling procedures for nuclear waste emanating from submarines and military establishments.
§ Mr. PattieAll nuclear wastes emanating from the Ministry of Defence are treated in accordance with the requirements of the regulatory authorities. There are no nuclear wastes which are of sufficiently high activity to produce substantial heating. Spent fuel elements from submarines and other defence reactors produce very small heat outputs which are readily absorbed by immersion in water. All other nuclear wastes emanating from Ministry of Defence have such low radioactivity levels that they do not require any cooling. They are stored under appropriate conditions for subsequent re-cycle or disposal.
§ Mr. Pavittasked the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the total nuclear waste currently being transported through the London borough of Brent emanates from nuclear submarines and military establishments.
§ Mr. PattieIt has been the longstanding policy of successive Governments, for security reasons, not to discuss amounts of nuclear waste generated in the defence programme and the relevant transport arrangements. However, all transport of defence nuclear wastes is carried out in close liaison with the relevant civil Departments (DOE, MAFF, DTp) to ensure that the safety standards applied are at least as rigorous as those observed by civil organisations.