§ Mr. Harry EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will meet Scottish chief constables to discuss arrangements for advising the public when nuclear waste material is being transported through their area.
§ Mr. McLoughlinNo. The safety regulations for the transport of all radioactive materials in this country are based on stringent internationally agreed standards laid down by the International Atomic Energy Agency. These require safety to be "built in" to the design of the container used for transport so that the contents would not present a significant radiological hazard even in the event of a severe accident. Safety of the containers is not therefore dependent on routing considerations. I do not therefore believe that prior notification of the kind suggested would serve any practical purpose as, in addition to the above, suitable emergency arrangements exist to provide a rapid expert radiological response to any incident involving readioactivity whatever its scale or location.