§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what factors were taken into account in calculating the risk to the public from any accidents that could occur during the transporting of radioactive waste in the report on the "Assessment of Best Practicable Environmental Options for Management of Low- and Intermediate-Level Solid Radioactive Wastes".
§ Mr. WaldegraveResearch addressed the risk to the health of the most exposed individuals affected by an accident to radioactive waste in transit and the collective risk to health in a typical urban or rural population near the scene of an accident. The results of this research are given in DOE/RW/84–195, available through the National Lending Library.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give a description of the worst case scenario associated with accidents during the transporting of nuclear waste as used for the report on the "Assessment of Best Practicable Environmental Options for Management of Low- and Intermediate-Level Solid Radioactive Wastes".
§ Mr. WaldegraveResearch on transport of low and intermediate-level radioactive wastes has addressed both probabilities and potential consequences of accidents. An assessment has been made of the implications of an accident in which one part in a million of the waste consignment was dispersed. The results of this research are reported in DOE/RW/85–175 and DOE/RW/84–195 available through the National Lending Library.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many visits were made (a) to possible sites for radioactive waste repositories, (b) to other nuclear installations in the United Kingdom and (c) to foreign countries, in the course of the preparation of the report on the "Assessment of the Best Practicable Environmental Options for Low- and Intermediate-Level Solid Radioactive Wastes"; and if he will list all such places visited.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIn the course of preparation of the report the Department's research contractors visited AERE Harwell and AEE Winfrith. Information on waste arising was obtained from all major nuclear installations in the United Kingdom. Research contractors assessing the costs and impacts of surface storage of wastes have visited operational stores in Petten (The Netherlands), Mol (Belgium), Gorleben and Karlsruhe (the Federal Republic of Germany), Leibstadt (Switzerland), Olkiluoto (Finland)320W and Ringhals (Sweden). No visits have been made to possible sites for radioactive waste repositories in the United Kingdom.
This research is reported in DOE/RW/85–158 available through the National Lending Library.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to investigate possible sites for deep cavity repositories for radioactive waste.
§ Mr. WaldegraveNIREX were asked by my right hon. Friend in his statement on 24 January 1985 to start the search for at least three alternative sites for a deep facility for longer-lived wastes. That work continues.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in view of the recent report on the "Assessment of Best Practical Environmental Options for Management of Low- and Intermediate-Level Solid Radioactive Wastes" finding that the disposal of barium carbonate sludge in concrete lined trenches would be too close to the risk limit (table 4), he will give an assurance that this will not be allowed to occur.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe acceptability of any specific type of radioactive waste for disposal in concrete-lined trenches will be assessed against the principles for the protection of the human environment, published in 1984, taking account of the characteristics of a disposal site that emerge from detailed investigations and of engineered structure proposed by UK NIREX Ltd. Should any waste pose risks that approach the limits set by the Government's authorising Department the assessment will take this factor fully into account.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much the report on the "Assessment of Best Practicable Environmental Options for Management of Low- and Intermediate-Level Solid Radioactive Wastes" cost to prepare; and how many people were employed in its preparation.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe report built on research commissioned by the Department of the Environment since 1982. This underlying research has cost about £800,000 over the four years 1982 to 1986. Research specifically related to the assessment published in March this year cost about £150,000. Eighteen independent scientific consultants were involved in the assessment, under the direction of one of the professional staff in the Department of the Environment. Scientists and other officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health and Social Security, the National Radiological Protection Board, and Her Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate were also consulted in the preparation of the report.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the data on which his Department's study to establish the best practicable environmental options for the management of low and intermediate level radioactive waste was based.
§ Mr. WaldegraveReports on the research and data on which the assessment was based are available through the National Lending Library, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire. A full list of research reports is given in section 9 of the assessment report. Copies of these research reports are also kept by the Department of the Environment for consultation on request.
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§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, in the light of the answer of 25 February, Official Report, column 505, he has anything to add to the reply of 21 April to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby, in so far as it relates to the possibility of sites operated by the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive being used for waste from the reprocessing of United Kingdom-produced spent fuel; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThere are no current plans to use a near-surface disposal facility developed by NIREX for wastes ensuing from reprocessed United Kingdom spent fuel. These wastes will continue to be disposed of at Drigg and at Dounreay. These sites do, however, have a finite capacity and it is therefore possible that in the distant future reprocessing wastes could be put into a NIREX site, assuming they meet the terms of its authorisation.
§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the difference in cost between shallow burial of low and intermediate short-lived radioactive waste and under sea bed burial of low and intermediate short-lived radioactive waste.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe unit costs of disposal assuming a utilisation of disposal routes in line with design capacities are derived from information provided by NIREX and from ENSEC Ltd.
Disposal option Cost of packaged waste disposal £ per cu metre Shallow burial 25 (Drigg) Near surface trench disposal 125 (LLW) 615 (ILW) Off-shore borehole disposal 2,600 Further details are given in "Assessment of Best Practical Environmental Options (BPEO's) for Management of Low and Intermediate-Level Solid Radioactive Wastes", Her Majesty's Stationery Office, March 1986.
Estimates of disposal costs are of course under continuing review by UK NIREX Limited.
§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he intends to reply to the letter dated 7 April from the secretary of Humberside Against Nuclear Dumping requesting a meeting with him and representatives of that organisation.
§ Mrs. RumboldI have written to HAND today, agreeing to a meeting.