Nuclear Waste (Hansard, 5 March 1984)

§ Mr. Cartwright
asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether any partial reprocessing of nuclear waste from the Royal naval college, Greenwich, has been undertaken at the Royal naval dockyard, Chatham.

§ Mr. Stanley
No.

§ Mr. Cartwright
asked the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made for the reprocessing of nuclear waste from the Royal naval college, Greenwich; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Stanley
The Royal naval college, Greenwich, nuclear research reactor has a very low operating power, and therefore is still operating on substantially the same fuel with which it started life over 20 years ago. A very 473W small number of movements took place in the early 1970s, when surplus fuel was returned to UKAEA Dounreay, from which it originated, for reprocessing.

§ Mr. Cartwright
asked the Secretary of State for Defence how nuclear waste from the Royal naval college, Greenwich, is transported for reprocessing; and how often these journeys are made.

§ Mr. Stanley
It has been the long-standing policy of successive Governments, for security reasons, not to comment on the routes and methods used to transport radioactive materials, including spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste, arising from the defence programme.

Financial Year 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 (to-date)

(a) Professional and Technology Group and Marine Service Officers^*

(i) Compulsory redundancies nil nil nil nil nil

(ii) Voluntary premature retirements nil 199 201 50 197

(iii) Compulsory retirements† nil 218 698 297 146

(iv) Compulsory redeploymen‡ nil nil 274 441 342

(b) Administration Group║

(i) Compulsory redundancies nil nil nil nil nil

(ii) Voluntary premature retirements nil nil nil nil nil

(iii) Compulsory retirements nil nil nil nil nil

(iv) Compulsory redeployments‡ nil nil nil nil nil

(c) Clerical and allied grades

(i) Redundancies 10 112 36 29 49

(ii) Compulsory retirements nil nil nil nil nil

(iii) Compulsory redeployments. — — — — —

^* Both the professional and technology group and the marine service officers class include engineers but it is not possible to identify figures for engineers separately.

† Staff over the contractural retirement age of sixty who, under the terms of the Civil Service model redundancy agreement, have been retired compulsorily as a pre-redundancy measure.

‡ Under their contract of employment, staff in mobile grades are liable to be transferred to any Civil Service post in the United Kingdom. Comprehensive records of routine such moves are not maintained. The figures provided cover staff who have been formally directed to move on rundown, closure or dispersal of MOD establishments (eg, Chatham Dockyard).

║ Executive officers and above.

¶ Staff in non-mobile grades are liable for transfer only to posts within daily travelling distance of their homes. Detailed records of such moves are not held centrally. During the period in question, approximately 600 staff in these grades have been redeployed within MOD and approximately 390 to other Government departments, on rundown, closure or dispersal of MOD establishments.

Financial Year	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83	1983–84 (to-date)
(a) Professional and Technology Group and Marine Service Officers^*
(i) Compulsory redundancies	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
(ii) Voluntary premature retirements	nil	199	201	50	197
(iii) Compulsory retirements†	nil	218	698	297	146
(iv) Compulsory redeploymen‡	nil	nil	274	441	342
(b) Administration Group║
(i) Compulsory redundancies	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
(ii) Voluntary premature retirements	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
(iii) Compulsory retirements	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
(iv) Compulsory redeployments‡	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
(c) Clerical and allied grades
(i) Redundancies	10	112	36	29	49
(ii) Compulsory retirements	nil	nil	nil	nil	nil
(iii) Compulsory redeployments.	—	—	—	—	—
^* Both the professional and technology group and the marine service officers class include engineers but it is not possible to identify figures for engineers separately.
† Staff over the contractural retirement age of sixty who, under the terms of the Civil Service model redundancy agreement, have been retired compulsorily as a pre-redundancy measure.
‡ Under their contract of employment, staff in mobile grades are liable to be transferred to any Civil Service post in the United Kingdom. Comprehensive records of routine such moves are not maintained. The figures provided cover staff who have been formally directed to move on rundown, closure or dispersal of MOD establishments (eg, Chatham Dockyard).
║ Executive officers and above.
¶ Staff in non-mobile grades are liable for transfer only to posts within daily travelling distance of their homes. Detailed records of such moves are not held centrally. During the period in question, approximately 600 staff in these grades have been redeployed within MOD and approximately 390 to other Government departments, on rundown, closure or dispersal of MOD establishments.