§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what emergency preparations are in hand in the event of the Soviet sarcophagus at the damaged Chernobyl reactor collapsing and releasing radioactive dust into the atmosphere.
§ Mr. BaldryThe national response plan for handling the consequences for the United Kingdom of overseas nuclear accidents sets out the arrangements which would be activated if we were notified of an accident involving a significant release of radioactivity to the environment, or if the RIMNET monitoring system detected radioactivity arriving in this country. These arrangements are set out in the booklet "The National Response Plan and Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network (RIMNET)—Phase I", published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what offers of technical assistance have been(a) sought from and (b) made by his Department to the Soviet atomic energy authorities in the clean-up and long-term management of radioactive waste arising from the Chernobyl accident in April 1986.
§ Mr. BaldryI understand that the Soviet Union has not requested any assistance from the United Kingdom Government in respect of these matters. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom is prepared to give sympathetic consideration to any such requests.