§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what payments have been made by his Department to British Nuclear Fuels plc over the past five years in regard to post-operational decommissioning work on facilities at Sellafield used to carry out contracts for his Department; what proportion of the work required arose from the pre-1971 period; and over what period of time negotiations were entered into over the payments for the work.
§ Mr. Alan ClarkMy Department has paid £12.5 million to British Nuclear Fuels plc in respect of decommissioning work carried out on facilities at Sellafield. All the payments made so far relate to pre-1971 liabilities.
Formal discussions concerning the basis on which payments for pre-1971 liabilities would be made to the company took place in the period 1986 to 1988. Those discussions involved not only the MOD but other bodies concerned with work at Sellafield. The MOD made its first payments for decommissioning work in early 1989.