HC Deb 01 May 1991 vol 190 cc245-6W
Mr. Home Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for East Lothian on 24 April,Official Report, column 458, if he will make it his policy to order a public inquiry into any proposal to establish a dry store for waste nuclear fuel at any site in Scotland.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

Scottish Nuclear's consideration of the dry storage of spent AGR fuel in preference to its immediate reprocessing remains at a relatively early stage. Any application to build such a dry store would be made in the first instance to the planning authority; it would be premature at this juncture to anticipate how it might be handled. and the full complement of staff including vacant posts, by grade, in the statistical divisions in the Forestry Commission; and if he will differentiate between staff in statistical posts and staff in administrative posts.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The Forestry Commission has two statistical branches in its research division which employs scientists and supporting staff. The scientists are employed on computer programming and systems analysis as well as statistical work, and it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the time they spent solely on statistical duties. In addition, a statistician is employed in the Forestry Commission's headquarters office.

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