Nuclear Material (Hansard, 10 December 1992)

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to introduce legislation to enforce the British Railways Board "List of Dangerous Goods Class 7: radioactive material", 1977 edition.

§ Mr. Freeman
This issue is under consideration by the Department as part of the safety regime to be put in place following the privatisation of British Rail.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent changes have been made to the Chicago convention to cover the air freight of nuclear material.

§ Mr. Norris
None. Annex 18 to the convention already lays down provisions for the safe transport by air of dangerous goods, including radioactive material.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department has regarding accidents involving(a) air transport, (b) sea or water course transport, (c) road transport and (d) rail transport of nuclear materials in the European Community since 1979.

§ Mr. Norris
Details of accidents in the United Kingdom and their radiological consequences are given in National Radiological Protection Board reports M206, M230 and M310, commissioned jointly by the Department of Transport and the Health and Safety Executive.
The Department does not hold details of accidents in other member states of the European Community.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what petitions he has received in his position as President of the European Council of Transport Ministers relating to the risks associated with the transportation of radioactive materials; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. MacGregor
No such petitions have been received.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all published and unpublished reports, commissioned and retained by his Department on the safety and the security of the transport of nuclear materials, and place in the Library those not otherwise available.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
The following safety studies have been commissioned by the DepartmentRadiation exposure from the normal movement of irradiated fuel elements by road and rail from Magnox power stations: March 1983 Review of the radiological consequence resulting from accidents and incidents during transportation in and from the United Kingdom: December 1984 Derived limits for surface contamination of transport packages: February 1987 The radiological impact of releases from a Magnox fuel flask damages by a hypothetical fire in the summit tunnel: December 1988 Review of the radiological consequences resulting from accidents and incidents involving the transport of radioactive materials in the United Kingdom from 1964 to 1988: March 1990 Radiological impact of the normal transport of radioactive materials by air: March 1990 Transport of radioactive materials between the United Kingdom mainland and gas and oil platforms in the North sea: March 1990 Radiological consequences resulting from accidents and incidents involving the transport of radioactive materials in the United Kingdom—1989 review: July 1990 781W Radiological consequences resulting from accidents and incidents involving the transport of radioactive materials in the United Kingdom—1990 review: July 1991
All the above studies were carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board.
In addition, the Department of Energy commissioned a confidential security study in 1980 on the consequences of a terrorist attack on an irradiated fuel flask.
I will place in the Library copies of the listed safety reports that are not already there.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list those United Kingdom ports which have been used for the transportation of separated plutonium since January 1989.

§ Mr. Norris
Radioactive material transported in approved packages may be moved through any port. Consignors are under no regulatory obligation to give this information to the Department.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of the research undertaken at his Department's Road Research Laboratory since its inception has been devoted to safety assessment of the transportation of nuclear materials by road.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
None: such research is the responsibility of the consignors.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information on the import and export of plutonium port authorities are required to provide to his Department.

§ Mr. Norris
None.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he or his officials have had with the European Transport Commissioner or his officials on the import and export of nuclear materials into(a) the European Community and (b) the United Kingdom.

§ Mr. MacGregor
None.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with his German counterparts in regard to the air freighting of plutonium fuel from Germany to Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Norris
No discussions have taken place.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what categories of information relating to the transport of plutonium it is his Department's practice not to publish.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
It is a decision for the consignors whether or not to publish operational details of plutonium transport.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what occasions his Department has proposed a preference since June 1986 on the optimum mode of transport for plutonium.

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
No such preferences have been expressed.

§ Ms. Walley
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration the Health and Safety Executive has given since 1991 over the transportation of(a) plutonium, (b) uranium, (c) spent nuclear fuel and (d) nuclear waste; and if he will make a statement.
782W

§ Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
The safe transport of radioactive material is a matter for the Department of Transport.