§ Lord Molloyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are satisfied with present arrangements for the storage of nuclear waste; when a site will be available for permanent disposal; and whether there is any danger to the public until such a site is constructed.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Baroness Denton of Wakefield)We are satisfied with the present arrangements for the storage of nuclear waste. In our White Paper,This Common Inheritance (Cm 1200), we said that UK Nirex Ltd would speed up its investigations into a potential underground waste disposal site so that a well-founded proposal can come to a public inquiry as soon as possible.
In order to develop the safety case for repository, Nirex intends to seek planning permission early next year for a Rock Characterisation Facility (RCF), or "rock laboratory", to test the geology of the site it is investigating at Sellafield in Cumbria. If the results are successful, a planning application for the repository itself will be made in 1998 or 1999 with a view to completing its construction some 10 years later.
There is no danger to the public in the interim. The Health and Safety Executive has ample power to ensure the continued safety of stored waste.