§ Mr. Ashdownasked the Secretary of State for Energy what information is available to his Department about the recent safety studies made of the graphite-moderated plutonium production nuclear reactors at Hanford, United States of America; what assessment he has made of the implications of these studies for the graphite-moderated plutonium production nuclear reactors operated by British Nuclear Fuels at Chapelcross and Calder Hall; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GoodladI understand that the executive summary, dated July 1986, of the United States Department of Energy's technical safety appraisal of the N-reactor at Hanford United States of America concludes that the reactor was being operated in a generally safe and cautious manner by experienced personnel, and outlines recommendations made, mainly to encourage the furtherance of excellence in aspects which it describes as already generally good. The N-reactor at Hanford is a water-cooled tube graphite-moderated reactor, and is therefore significantly different from any British reactor. When the full report is received it will be studied by Her Majesty's nuclear installations inspectorate.
§ Mr. Amessasked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the safety record of the British nuclear power industry.
§ Mr. GoodladThe Government and the British nuclear industry are fully conscious of the vital importance of both site and environmental safety, and the industry has an excellent safety record. There has never been a nuclear emergency at any of this country's civil nuclear installations.