§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are taken to maintain records of the movement and origins of radioactive materials and their containers; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mrs. ChalkerThe safety requirements for the transport of radioactive materials are based on International Atomic Energy Agency regulations. These require all consignments of such materials to be accompanied by documents giving prescribed details of the movement, the material and the container. Responsibility for providing these documents rests on consignors. There is no requirement for the documents to be retained once the movement to which they relate has been completed.
Radioactive materials on sites are subject to the provisions of either the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 or the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. The administration of these provisions is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Energy and the Environment respectively.
§ Mr. Gorstasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set up an inquiry into the circumstances in which a container for transporting radioactive material was abandoned at Mill Hill East station on 8 March; and if he will make a statement on the steps taken by the emergency services.
§ Mrs. ChalkerI am aware of this incident and have no evidence that any radioactive material was involved or that any public hazard resulted. Nonetheless a report on the circumstances of the incident and the action taken to respond to it has been requested from the police.