§ Mr. RookerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what contribution is being made by Her Majesty's Government towards the cleaning up, and making safe, of nuclear installations in the former Soviet Union; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Charles WardleAt the Economic Summit in Munich, 1992, G7 heads of Government endorsed a multilateral programme of action to help improve the safety of Soviet-designed nuclear reactors in central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. For the latter, the Government's main contribution to this international effort is being channelled through the European Union's technology assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States programme, to which we contribute around 16 per cent. of the total budget. Over the past four years, around 280 million ECU has been allocated by the EC for nuclear safety related projects in the FSU. Priorities are set in consultation with recipient countries. So far, the main emphasis has been on reactor safety, although a number of projects relating to waste management and clean-up operations have either been carried out or are under-way.
The United Kingdom has also contributed 11.5 mecu to the European bank for reconstruction and development—managed nuclear safety account, which was established last year to fund urgent safety upgrades at the higher risk reactors.
On a bilateral basis, the Government have supported a range of technical assistance projects in the FSU including a number under the know-how fund. Russia, Ukraine, Belarus Kazakhstan and Lithuania have been amongst the beneficiary countries. Projects include help to Ukraine for land remediation and measurement of radioactive contamination post-Chernobyl; DTI-funded collaboration on RBMK reactor safety between the Atomic Energy Authority and Russia's Research and Development Institute of Power Engineering; and training seminars on radioactive waste management regulation, the safeguarding of nuclear materials and nuclear site inspection techniques.
At the Naples Summit in July, G7 Governments pledged support for an action plan to ensure early closure of the remaining units at Chernobyl within the framework of an energy sector strategy for Ukraine. The Government will make a contribution through the EU, which has pledged up to 100 mecu of grant finance for technical assistance through the TACIS programme and up to 400 million ECU thorough EURATOM loans. The Government will decide their bilateral contribution when detailed arrangements have been agreed with Ukraine.