Submarine Reactor Cores (Hansard, 26 February 1997)

§ Mr. Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what has been average annual running cost of transporting used submarine reactor cores over the past 10 years. [17635]

§ Mr. Arbuthnot
The average annual running cost to MOD of transporting used submarine reactor fuel, using used core transport packages prior to 1992, was approximately £200,000 per year. The average cost after that time is higher at approximately £780,000 per year. The cost increase is due both to the smaller capacity of our current fuel transport flasks, and an increase in reactor core movements.
New fuel transport flasks being constructed by British Nuclear Fuels, which are larger than the current design, will be introduced into service at the end of 1998.

§ Mr. Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress being made towards introducing the new core transport package flasks for the transport of submarine reactor cores.[17634]

§ Mr. Arbuthnot
I refer to the hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 6 June 1996,Official Report, columns 521–22, to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell). Satisfactory progress is being made towards introducing the new used core transport package flasks for the transport of submarine reactor cores at the end of 1998.

1992–93 1993–94 Financial year 1994–95 1995–96 ¹1996–97

EDS 58 66 72 47 31

Andersens 9 6 1 nil 2

BMI nil 1 nil nil nil

Capita nil 1 nil 6 nil

Sema 9 6 6 6 3

1 To January.

The data do not include contracts placed by MOD agencies. I have asked chief executives to write to the hon. Member separately if they hold relevant information.
Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Alan Howarth, dated 26 February 1997: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) to your question asking for a list of contracts awarded to EDS, Andersons, BMI, Capita and Sema since 1992 together with the function of the contractor and value of contract in each case. I am afraid that it is not our practice to give details of individual contracts, either by function or value, as this information is commercially confidential but I list below the numbers of contracts placed by DERA with Anderson, Capita, EDS and Sema since 1992 and the approximate total value of the contracts for each company. DERA has placed no contracts with BM1 since 1992.
256W

§ Mr. Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the location of each of the used reactor cores from his Department's nuclear-powered submarines. [17636]

§ Mr. Arbuthnot
Currently, 45 used submarine reactor cores are held in long-term storage at BNF plc Sellafield and three are held in temporary storage—one each at Rosyth dockyard, Devonport dockyard and the naval reactor test establishment at Dounreay.
MOD policy is to remove all used submarine reactor cores to long-term storage at BNF plc Sellafield as soon as possible after defuel. The cores currently in temporary storage will be removed at the first available opportunity.

	1992–93	1993–94	Financial year 1994–95	1995–96	¹1996–97
EDS	58	66	72	47	31
Andersens	9	6	1	nil	2
BMI	nil	1	nil	nil	nil
Capita	nil	1	nil	6	nil
Sema	9	6	6	6	3
1 To January.