§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy why, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newport, West,Official Report, 11 May, column 481, on the Pacific Sandpiper, a consignment of spent irradiated nuclear fuel was transported into and out of the United Kingdom without it being reprocessed; and on how many occassions such a stop-off has taken place since May 1979.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerThe irradiated fuel was from an overseas research reactor and was being returned to its country of origin. The material was subject to international safeguards. It came to the United Kingdom as part of a cargo of irradiated fuel the balance of which was for reprocessing at Sellafield. Since May 1979 there has been an average of about one such shipment a year.