§ Mr. HoramTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the safety of the arrangements for nuclear waste to be transported by train; and if he will make it his policy to collect information about the quantity of nuclear material transported through each parliamentary constituency.
§ Mr. FreemanSafety 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. The IAEA standards are kept under continuous review, and major revisions take place every 10 years, the most recent one being in 1985. I have no plans to collect information about the quantity of nuclear material transported through each parliamentary constituency.