Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what information his Department collects on a routine basis on the imports and exports of nuclear materials for the purposes of reporting to the international safeguards authorities.
§ Mr. BaldryUnder articles 24 and 25 of Euratom Regulations 3227/76 (of theOfficial Journal) the Department forwards to the Euratom safeguards directorate reports by all nuclear operators of exports and imports of nuclear materials. These reports are, in turn, passed by Euratom to the IAEA.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if Her Majesty's Government have given any consideration to the International Atomic Energy Agency playing a role in safeguarding fissile materials involved in non-explosive military uses.
§ Mr. BaldryI am content with the UK-Euratom-IAEA agreement which excludes material and facilities in the United Kingdom's military cycle.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will make it his policy to seek an extension to the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards regime to cover visits to non-declared suspect facilities.
§ Mr. BaldryNo. Safeguards-related visits and inspections are matters for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the relevant state. In the case of non-nuclear weapon states party to the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT), the treaty obliges them not to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons, and accept IAEA safeguards on all source or fissionable material in all their peaceful nuclear activities.
In relation to non-parties to the NPT, IAEA safeguards can be applied only on a voluntary basis.
In either case the agency's statutes require the inspectors to report any non-compliance to the director general who shall thereupon transmit the report to the board of governors.