§ Mr. BerminghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans have been made by health authorities to deal with nuclear flask accidents; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanArrangements for dealing with the response to an accident involving the transportation of irradiated fuel are set out in consignors' contingency plans and the irradiated fuel transport flask emergency plan, a copy of which is in the Library. Radiation protection advice would be provided by health physicists specified in the emergency plan, not by the NHS.
However, in the unlikely event of this advice not being available at the time, the police could invoke the national arrangements for incidents involving radioactivity (NAIR) scheme. This scheme is intended to ensure that, for accidents involving the transportation of radioactive materials, appropriate resources are available to the police for providing protection to the general public. The NAIR scheme is co-ordinated by the National Radiological Protection Board and its participants include appropriately staffed and equipped National Health Service hospitals that are designated for NAIR purposes.
In addition, Regional Health Authorities are required to designate hospitals within their regions which are equipped and staffed to provide treatment and decontamination facilities in the unlikely event of an incident leading to the release of radioactivity.