§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make a statement on the latest position in relation to the fast reactor site at Dounreay.
§ Mr. Michael SpicerAs my right hon. Friend said in a statement to the House on 21 July last year, the Government will continue to fund the prototype fast12W reactor at Dounreay until March 1994 and the associated reprocessing plant until March 1997. The importance of Dounreay to the Caithness economy was a major factor behind the Government's decision, which gives the area the chance to develop alternative sources of employment and growth.
As far as Dounreay itself is concerned, there are a number of initiatives being taken by the Dounreay management and workforce to find additional work for the site.
Dounreay has been identified as a site where further investigations should take place to determine its potential as the site for the United Kingdom's radioactive waste repository. A decision on this, however, is still some way in the future.