HC Deb 18 October 1993 vol 230 cc154-5W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he has taken to implement policies to put into effect obligations entered into on nuclear safeguards on United Kingdom facilities since 1979; and how he has ensured such policies have not put the United Kingdom at an unnecessary disadvantage in regard to competitor countries.

Mr. Eggar

Arrangements for the application of International Atomic Energy Agency and Euratom safeguards in the United Kingdom have been negotiated pursuant to the terms of INFCIRC/263 and the Euratom treaty. These site-specific inspection arrangements are confidential to the operator, HM Government and the international inspectorates.

Judgments on what are considered to be appropriate inspection procedures for United Kingdom facilities take into account, as far as possible, accepted international practice at similar plants in other countries. In furtherance of this goal of maintaining common standards, the United Kingdom has played an important role in developing internationally accepted approaches for safeguarding major nuclear facilities, for example at centrifuge enrichment plants and large-scale reprocessing plants.

Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what response Her Majesty's Government have made to the Commission proposal for a Council decision approving the amendment by the Commission of Commission regulation (Euratom) No. 3227/76 of 19 October 1976 concerning the application of the provisions on Euratom safeguards, Corn (93) 294 final of 24 June.

Mr. Eggar

I refer the hon. Member to my answers given to him on 31 March,Official Report, columns 210–11, and 21 May, Official Report, column 344, concerning the original Commission proposal to amend regulation (Euratom) 3227/76 of 19 October 1976. A revised version of the proposal detailed in Com(93) 294 final of 24 June, was approved by the Council with United Kingdom support. The text of the amendment was published in EC Official Journal No. L 191/75, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House.