HC Deb 09 July 1993 vol 228 c310W
Mr. Dalyell

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is Her Majesy's Government's policy towards the reprocessing of Iraqi nuclear waste at Dounreay.

Mr. Eggar

[holding answer 8 July 1993]: As was explained in the reply of my right hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy of 5 November 1991 to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood), Official Report, column 68, the United Kingdom and France expressed willingness to assist with recovery of material from Iraq. During these discussions, the United Kingdom and France went to considerable lengths to accommodate the International Atomic Energy Agency's concerns over the responsibility for the long-term storage of waste from reprocessing and questions over the legal liability for the material. In the event, the IAEA decided to pursue another option.