§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they expect that sufficient information and costings will be received from the Ukrainian Government and others concerning the Chernobyl nuclear station, its safety and phasing out, to make it possible for the G7 powers to take appropriate decision at their June meeting; and if not whether the supply of data can be accelerated.
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Earl Ferrers)Substantial work is in progress within the G7, European Union and international financial institutions to help Ukraine implement its decision to close Chernobyl by the year 2000 within the framework of a sound energy sector strategy. Not all of the relevant studies will be ready by June, though good progress is being made. Once Ukraine has decided on energy options which can attract appropriate Western financial support, a detailed action plan can be finalised. The Government expect a constructive discussion to take place on Chernobyl at the Halifax Summit and that this will be followed up by further intensive discussions at the technical level.