HC Deb 14 May 1992 vol 207 c185W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what emergency provisions exist for south Wales in the event of a total breach of containment taking place at(a) reactors and (b) spent fuel cooling ponds at (i) Berkeley, (ii) Oldbury and (iii) Hinkley Point nuclear plants.

Mr. Gwilym Jones

The rigorous safety arrangements at United Kingdom nuclear sites render extremely unlikely the kind of nuclear emergency postulated. Co-ordinated plans based on the worst case scenario which can reasonably be predicted have been devised by the operators of the nuclear sites on Severnside in consultation with the police, local authorities and other emergency services, and also involve liaison with central Government Departments, including the Welsh Office. Those procedures, which are regularly tested in simulated exercises, entail measures to safeguard public health and to protect food and water supplies on both sides of the Severn estuary.