§ Mr. Mark RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what conclusions have been reached by review of radioactive waste management policy about the siting of drystores for spent nuclear fuel.
§ Mr. GummerConsideration has now been given to the responses to the preliminary conclusions of the review, published in August, in relation to the siting of drystores for spent nuclear fuel. An appraisal of the implications of a multi-store strategy compared with the potential benefits of a single-store strategy has also been 147W carried out with particular regard to the question of safety. That appraisal does not point to conclusive benefits deriving from a central store or stores compared with one or more stores sited beside nuclear generating stations. The Government have therefore confirmed their preliminary conclusion that decisions on the siting of drystores for spent nuclear fuel should be a matter for the commercial judgment of the operators, subject to the necessary planning and regulatory requirements being satisfied.