§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what reports he has received from British Nuclear Fuels plc on the effectiveness of its plutonium evaporator live visual inspection system to prevent radiological accidents at Sellafield.
§ Mr. EggarFollowing the incident involving the plutonium evaporator cell at Sellafield on 8 September and the recovery of the resultant spillage, a number of features have been introduced to prevent a recurrence and to improve early detection in the unlikely event of there being any such similar spillage in the future.
Such measures include detailed examination of relevant welds and where necessary repair, installation of drip trays with leak detectors, installation of television cameras and an improved inspection regime. The Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate also required British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) to improve lighting and to install an automatic imaging system to detect any changes in the evaporator cell. These systems are in place and BNFL is confident that it would detect any similar leak if one were ever to occur.