HC Deb 27 June 1986 vol 100 c350W
Miss Boothroyd

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether he will list the level of subsidy provided to the British Waterways Board for each of the last five years for which records are available;

(2) whether he will give details of the expenditure of the British Waterways Board for each of the last five financial years for which records are available.

Mr. John Patten

Audited accounts for the British Waterways Board are included in its annual reports, which are laid before Parliament. The following table shows for each of the last five years the board's expenditure on waterways operation and maintenance and grant aid from the Department for this purpose:

define the nature and quality of the low-level nuclear waste now disposed of at Drigg in Cumbria; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold

Disposals of radioactive waste in the United Kingdom are authorised under the Radioactive Substances Act 1960. BNFL is authorised under sections 6(1) and 6(3) of that Act to dispose of solid radioactive waste, including sludges, at Drigg, by the Department of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

The conditions of the authorisation requires that low-level waste for disposal at Drigg meets the following criteria:

  1. a. that the dose-rate at the surface of substantially unshielded waste containing radionuclides emitting one or both of the following, that is to say, beta particles or gamma radiations does not exceed 7.5 milligrays per hour in air;
  2. b. that in all the matter (whether or not consisting wholly of the waste) buried on the stie in any one day;
    1. i. the alpha activity on the average does not exceed 740 megabecqucrels per cubic metre; and
    2. ii. the beta activity of beta emitting radionuclides which do not emit gamma radiation on the average does not exceed 2.2 gigabecquerels per cubic metre.
In order to secure compliance with the authorisation, and ensure safe working practices, BNFL, with the agreement of the authorising Departments, imposes its own more restrictive conditions on consignments of waste for disposal at Drigg.