Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he will publish details of the current location of separated plutonium arising out of reprocessing, but originating from Magnox reactors at Bradwell and Berkeley.
§ Mr. BaldryThe Magnox reactors at Bradwell and Berkeley have contributed, along with other civil nuclear installations, to the stocks of plutonium held by British Nuclear Fuels plc at Sellafield for Nuclear Electric plc and by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. All this material is subject to Euratom safeguards and to the terms of the UK/Euratom/IAEA safeguards agreement. Details of the plutonium held at 31 March 1989 were given in the press release issued by my Department on 5 December 1989, copies of which were placed in the Library of the House. In addition, some separated plutonium from Bradwell and Berkeley was consigned to the United States before 1971 under the United States/United Kingdom mutual defence agreement. The United States authorities have confirmed subsequently that this material has been used for civil purposes.