Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if, further to his reply of 6 July to the right hon. Member for Swansea, West,Official Report, column 263, the seven Ministry of Defence officials who are not full-time members of the nuclear-powered warships safety committee have voting rights; who is on the committee specifically to represent environmental or community viewpoints; and if there are any representatives from the Departments of the Environment, the Welsh Office, the Scottish Office or the Northern Ireland Office.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonNo vote is taken at meetings of the nuclear-powered warships safety committee (NPWSC). Only unanimous advice is put forward. It is a committee of technical experts whose terms of reference are confined to public safety. The Department of the Environment is represented on the committee by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution (HMIP), and Scottish Office by Her Majesty's industrial pollution inspectorate. Although HMIP is part of the Department of the Environment, it also advises the Welsh Office, and where appropriate represents that Department on the NPWSC. The membership of the NPWSC includes experts from several other bodies which have environmental and public safety responsibilities: the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Department of Health and the nuclear installations inspectorate; and the National Radiological Protection Board. The Northern Ireland Office is not represented as there are no berths or facilities for nuclear-powered submarines in Northern Ireland.