§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what bodies he is presently consulting in preparing his assessment of disposal options in respect of radioactive waste which he intends to publish in the summer.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy Department is consulting the Department of Health and Social Security, and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the National Radiological Protection Board, the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, the Scottish Development Department and the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee. We have undertaken to keep the Trades Union Congress informed about progress, and to hold discussions with it at an appropriate stage. At the suggestion of the TUC, we have also invited Professor Holliday and the other members of the team which reviewed sea disposal in the Atlantic to comment on the plans for the study, and in due course on the draft results. To provide time for the various consultations, the study will now take longer than originally envisaged, but should be completed by the end of the year.