HC Deb 23 June 1997 vol 296 cc391-2W
Mr. Baker

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the volumes of(a) low-level nuclear material, (b) medium-level nuclear material and (c) high-level nuclear material which were (i) imported into and (ii) exported from Great Britain for each year from 1980 to 1996. [4648]

Mr. Battle

[holding answer 20 June 1997]: Approximately 3,507 tonnes of spent fuel, which is categorised as high-level nuclear material, from overseas is currently held in the UK, after which the majority of the nuclear material will be reprocessed and exported to the country of origin.

The volumes of nuclear material for the whole of the UK cover many thousands of import and export transactions every year, and involve other nuclear materials such as isotopes for hospitals, industry, and academic institutions. The data requested, in respect of all these transactions covering each year from 1980 to 1996, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Baker

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will list the countries in 1996 (i) from which Britain imported(a) nuclear fuel, (b) spent nuclear fuel and (c) nuclear waste and (ii) to which Britain exported (1) nuclear fuel, (2) spent nuclear fuel and (3) nuclear waste. [4649]

Mr. Battle

[holding answer 20 June 1997]: In 1996, (i) Britain imported (a) nuclear fuel from Germany, France and Belgium (b) spent fuel from Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands and Australia (c) no nuclear waste and (ii) exported (1) nuclear fuel to Indonesia, Netherlands, France, Germany, Canada, Australia (2) spent nuclear fuel to France, and (3) no nuclear waste.

Mr. Baker

To ask the President of the Board of Trade what the estimated volume is of(a) high-level nuclear material, (b) medium-level nuclear material and (c) low-level nuclear material currently in Great Britain. [4645]

Mr. Battle

[holding answer 20 June 1997]: The volumes of undisposed radioactive waste in stock and predicted to arise in the UK are routinely reported in the UK Radioactive Waste Inventory, published by Nirex Limited, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House. Based on the latest update, provided by Nirex, together in the 1994 Inventory, and assuming uniform rates of future arisings the estimated volumes of waste in stock on 1 April 1997 are:

  1. (i) high-level: 2,000m3
  2. (ii) intermediate-level: 74,000m3
  3. (iii) low-level: 18,000m3
1Low-level waste is routinely disposed of to Drigg and hence it has been assumed that the vast majority of arisings, between 1994 and 1997, have been disposed of.

Calculating the total of all nuclear materials currently in the UK, which would include industry, hospitals and academic institutions, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.