§ Lord Shinwellasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will state the ultimate cost of the construction of further planned nuclear power stations; and whether they will give an assurance of protection for the civilian population against nuclear pollution.
§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord Gray of Contin)The Central Electricity Generating Board estimated the cost of constructing its proposed pressurised water reactor power station at Sizewell 'B' to be £1,147m (March 1982 prices). No other applications to build new nuclear power stations have been submitted to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Energy.
The very high standards of safety in the design and construction of nuclear plants, and the strict control of their operation by the electricity utilities themselves, by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and by the authorising departments provide the strongest assurance of protection for the civilian population.