§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what export controls her Department operates in respect of the export of mixed oxide fuel; [18495]
(2) what non-proliferation measures her Department undertakes in respect of the export of mixed oxide fuel; [18492]
(3) what assessment she has made of the compliance of United Kingdom (a) manufacture and (b) export of mixed oxide fuel with the United Kingdom's international obligations in respect of (i) export control and (ii) non-proliferation. [18497]
§ Mrs. RocheThe UK's export controls on nuclear and nuclear-related goods are derived from international nuclear non-proliferation commitments and membership of international nuclear export control regimes, in particular the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) whose members have agreed common guidelines for the transfer of nuclear and nuclear-related goods and technology.
These commitments are given effect in the relevant legislation, which in this case is Council Regulation (EC) No. 3381/94 on the export of dual use goods and the related Council Decision 94/942/CSFP as amended.
In accordance with the legislation, mixed oxide fuel (MOX) requires an export license. Individual applications for licences for exports of MOX are considered on their merits, but before any license is issued certain conditions have to be fulfilled. These include assurances from the recipient government:
that the goods will not be used for any purpose that would result in any nuclear explosive device;that the goods will be placed under effective physical protection;that the transfer will only take place once the receiving State has brought into an agreement with the IAEA requiring the application of safeguards on all source and special fissionable materials in its current and future peaceful activities;that the goods would only be transferred to a third country if the recipient country had provided the same assurances as those required by the supplier for the original transfer.Both the manufacture and export of MOX are entirely consistent with the UK's international obligations in the field of export control and non-proliferation. In addition to the controls on the export of MOX outlined above, all civil nuclear materials in the UK, including MOX, are subject to Euratom safeguards.