§ Mr. Michael Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reports or forecasts have been received by his Department on the estimated total cost of payments of compensation and purchases of property in the vicinity of sites under consideration for radioactive waste disposal; if the cost of such payments and purchases has been taken into account in examining the best practicable environmental options for disposal of such waste; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveApart from the compensation scheme it has already announced in the areas affected by their current site investigations, I understand that UK NIREX Ltd. is considering the possibility of further measures. Although provisional estimates of the costs of possible measures have been shown to my Department, NIREX has not yet made any firm estimate of the total costs of compensation and house purchase. No account was taken of compensation measures in the study of best practicable environmental options, where the costing figures are in any case under review.