§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what evaluation he has commissioned of the prospective public expenditure savings arising from the announced reduction by United Kingdom Nirex Ltd. of the capacity of the planned national repository for nuclear waste;
(2) what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and what interdepartmental discussions have taken place, on the cost implications of the proposed national repository for radioactive waste; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the review of the costs of the repository.
§ Mr. AtkinsQuestions relating to the sponsorship of Nirex are a matter for my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade. However, the cost implications of Nirex's proposed repository will be considered in the radioactive waste management review, announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment on 19 May,Official Report, columns 535–36. The Department proposes to publish the preliminary conclusions of the review later in the summer, as a basis for consultation.