HC Deb 22 December 1997 vol 303 cc436-7W
Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the consultants who are undertaking the independent assessment of the justification for the Sellafield MOX plant commissioning, ordered by the Environment Agency, will be assessing the potential for diversion of plutonium from the MOX plant and from the MOX fuel as part of their study. [22073]

Angela Eagle

PA Consulting Group did not assess the potential for diversion of plutonium from the MOX plant and from the MOX fuel as part of its study because this was outside the specification of the contract with the Environment Agency.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will place in the Library the terms of reference provided by the Environment Agency to the consultants who are undertaking the independent assessment of the justification for the Sellafield MOX plant commissioning. [22071]

Angela Eagle

The contract specification for the assessment of BNFL' s Economic and Commercial Case for the Sellafield MOX plant is being placed in the Library. The contract with the consultants, PA Consulting Group, was for an independent assessment of the economic and commercial case for the plant. The Environment Agency will use the consultants' report as an input to its own wider consideration of whether commissioning and operation of the plant is justified, for the purpose of determining the application it has received from BNFL.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will ensure that the independent assessment of the justification for the Sellafield MOX plant commissioning, ordered by the Environment Agency, will, when completed, be placed in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [22074]

Angela Eagle

The publicly available version of the report produced by PA Consulting Group, which excludes material that the Environment Agency has accepted is commercially sensitive, is being placed in the Library.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what information was provided by sources other than BNFL to the consultants who are undertaking the independent assessment ordered by the Environment Agency of the justification for the Sellafield MOX plant commissioning. [22072]

Angela Eagle

PA Consulting Group undertook its own survey of published data, information and statistics relevant to the business environment for MOX fuel, independently of BNFL. The results of this survey are set out in Appendix C of PA Consulting Group's report, copies of which are being placed in the Library.

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