§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Government intend to apply the London convention's ban on sea disposal of radioactive wastes to radioactive scale on redundant oil installations; what criteria they will apply in assessing the best practicable environmental option for disposal of radioactive material from oil and gas installations; and how those criteria will differ from the criteria applied to wastes from the civil nuclear industry and radioactive military waste. [15672]
§ Mr. ClappisonThe London convention does not prohibit the dumping at sea of wastes or other materials containing "de minimis"—exempt—levels of radioactivity.
445WAuthorisations for the disposal of radioactive wastes are issued by the environment agencies under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. Policy on determining authorisations is set out in the White Paper "Review of Radioactive Waste Management Policy—Final Conclusions", Cm 2919.