HC Deb 17 October 1994 vol 248 c95W
Mr. Llew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what safety criteria have been adopted by his Department to cover the international transport to and from the United Kingdom of radioactively contaminated nitric acid; what prohibitions exist on the transport of such materials by air; and what information has been received by his Department in regard to the import of nitric acid into the United Kingdom by(a) air and (b) sea transportation, respectively.

Mr. Norris

The international rules for the safe transport of dangerous goods by sea and air are set out in the international maritime dangerous goods code and the convention of international civil aviation respectively. In addition, the transport of radioactive materials within, to and from the United Kingdom must comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency standards. These international codes and conventions, plus the multi-modal provisions of the UN recommendations on the transport of dangerous goods, are reflected in the appropriate United Kingdom domestic legislation. My Department is not aware of any recent radioactive nitric acid imports by sea or air.