Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he possesses on the commission of inquiry recently established in the European Parliament to examine the accountability and control of nuclear materials in the European Community under Euratom regulations.
§ Mr. MellorA European Parliament committee of inquiry is to investigate the movement of radioactive waste from the treatment plant at Mol in Belgium and to report within four months. It is composed of 15 members representing all groups and includes three British members.
Terms of reference include consideration of the handling and transport of material, the existing Community regime for handling radioactive waste and the Commission's obligations covering the safeguards aspects of the nuclear material involved (including the question of plutonium in barrels supposedly containing radioactive waste), Euratom treaty obligations and application of the existing requirements for the cross-border transport of nuclear waste.