§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what provisions have been made for the disposal of radioactive waste arising from the newly agreed contracts to reprocess spent research reactor nuclear fuel from Berlin, Madrid and Petten, at Dounreay.
§ Mr. BaldryIn line with all overseas reprocessing contracts since 1976, these contracts will have to include options for the return of wastes arising. The Government intend that such options should be exercised and wastes returned.
§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what safeguards agreements will apply to the spent nuclear fuel to be imported from research reactors in Madrid, Petten in the Netherlands and the Hahn-Meitner Institute in Berlin for processing at Dounreay.
§ Mr. BaldryAll operations at Dounreay are subject to Euratom safeguards and to the terms of the UK-Euratom-IAEA safeguards agreement (INFCIRC/263).
§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy what evaluation he has made of the recent scientific report by the International Atomic Energy Agency criticising the adequacy of the scientific work conducted by Nirex in support of its repository research programme.
§ Mr. BaldryUK Nirex Ltd. commissioned the independent review by the International Atomic Energy Agency of the Nirex research and development programmes on deep repository post-closure safety and site assessment.
The report of the review was received in July 1989 and has been carefully studied. The IAEA panel of experts was impressed with the quality of the programme and the vast strides it had already made. They concluded that all major topics of interest were being addressed; that gaps in knowledge had been identified; and that R and D to fill those gaps had been initiated. They noted that the work could not be completed until site specific data were available and set down a number of areas in which such data would be required. With this qualification they expressed the view that the work being done by Nirex gave promise of a highly competent professional appraisal of the suitability of either or both the proposed two sites for intermediate and low-level waste disposal.
The research programme on which the panel was asked to comment was on-going and incomplete; in particular Nirex was well aware before it commissioned the review that site specific data would be required before the work could be taken to a conclusion. Nirex welcomed the panel's suggestions and advice and where appropriate these have been incorporated in the future research programmes.
§ Mr. Harry BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will call for an update of the report prepared in 1980 by the safety and reliability directorate of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority on the risk potential of a gas tank explosion and subsequent fire engulfing a ship docked at Barrow containing spent reactor nuclear fuel.
§ Mr. BaldryThe report referred to by the hon. Member was prepared in connection with a planning application12W which has since been granted. It is for those who commissioned the report to decide whether they wish to update it.