Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress made in his Department's radioactive waste research programme using the "SYVAC" computer programme; what 725W developments have been made with the "Time 2" environmental change simulation programme; and what progress has been made with the "VANDAL" research computer model in evaluating future corrosion of nuclear waste containers.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleySYVAC was used during 1982–86 to develop the basis of the Department's approach to the risk assessment of underground disposal of solid radioactive wastes and led to the development of VANDAL. VANDAL is not used for evaluating container corrosion. TIME 2 was developed to help estimate the likely effects on disposal sites of future changes in the environment to approximately 25,000 years. It is being further developed (TIME 4) to permit consideration of periods up to approximately a million years.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on progress in the hocus hole closure experiments conducted jointly by his Department and the BRE in support of the radioactive waste management research programme.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe hocus hole closure experiments were performed in November 1986 as part of an OECD/NEA study and have been reported in "Hocus Cruise Report, OECD/NEA Seabed Working Group, edited by C. Papucci, ENEA, La Spezia (Italy), May 1988".
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what restrictions are applied to civil servants in his Department's radioactive waste division travelling to the Soviet Union on holiday.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyNone.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is his present estimate per tonne of the cost of the long-term disposal of high-level radioactive waste.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyAccurate cost estimates are not possible as high-level waste will not be disposed of for at least 50 years. An indicative estimate for vitrified high-level waste is £200,000 per tonne.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if there are any plans to export quantities of United Kingdom—generated high level radioactive waste to countries that have commercial contracts with British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. at Sellafield to manage and reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerI have been asked to reply.
The Government's policy on the return of high-level radioactive waste was set down in the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr. Goodlad) to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) on 2 May 1986 at columns 502-503.