§ Mr. Bruceasked the Secretary of State for Energy (1) at what time the escape of radiation at Sellafield on 5 February commenced; at what time the escape was discovered; at what time actions were taken to halt the escape; and at what time the escape was stopped;
(2) if he will present a detailed list of the precise chemical and radiochemical composition of the matter which escaped from Sellafield on 5 February;
(3) if he can provide an estimate of the temperature and pressure of the liquid within the pipe, pump or other equipment, which resulted in the escape of the gases, mists and matter during the release which occurred at Sellafield on 5 February;
256W(4) if he will provide full information on the extent and severity of contamination of the building at Sellafield where a radiation escape occurred on 5 February;
(5) with reference to the radiation leak at Sellafield on 5 February, at what time evacuation was commenced; at what time evacuation was completed; how many workers were in the building at the time of the incident; how many workers remained in the building; what the function and location of the remaining workers was; how many workers were exposed to contamination; to what degree; and if he will make a statement;
(6) if he will provide further and detailed information on the maximum individual effective dose equivalent commitment, in terms of total body dose from sources giving external exposure and estimated internal exposure from any ingested or inhaled sources of radioactivity, in milli Sieverts, of any worker as a result of the incident on 5 February, and the collective effective dose equivalent commitment to the workers, in man milli Sieverts; and if he will make a statement;
(7) if he will detail the methods to be employed in the clean up of the contaminated area of Sellafield affected by the leak of 5 February; if he will estimate the length of time required to carry out the decontamination processes; if he will estimate the cost of clean up operations; and if he will make a statement;
(8) at what time the reprocessing line at Sellafield was closed down; what is the estimated cost that will be incurred due to cessation of operations following the radioactive leak at Sellafield on 5 February; and if he will make a statement;
(9) what was the source material from which the plutonium nitrate which escaped at Sellafield on 5 February was extracted.
§ Mr. GoodladHer Majesty's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is carrying out an audit of safety at the Sellafield plant and this will take account of the incident of 5 February 1986. The findings of the audit will be made public in due course. In the meantime I have asked the chairman of British Nuclear Fuels plc to write to the hon. Member with the detailed information which he requests.