HC Deb 17 March 1997 vol 292 cc387-8W
Ms Walley

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the civil police provide escorts for type B containers of civil radioactive materials transported by road at the request of the material's owners; and if he will make a statement. [19937]

Mr. Page

The civil police do not escort type B containers of radioactive materials transported by road. The UK Atomic Energy Authority constabulary escorts these containers when necessary.

Ms Walley

To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the tasks of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority police include escorting type B containers of civil radioactive materials transported by road in the ownership of(a) the UKAEA and (b) other owners; and if he will make a statement. [19936]

Mr. Page

The UK Atomic Energy Authority constabulary provides escorts for road transport of type B containers holding certain civil radioactive materials owned by or under the control of BNFL, UKAEA and URENCO. The security standards laid down for the physical protection of nuclear material and the need for the material to be escorted are dependent on the type, form and quantity of the material, not the type of container holding it. The standards followed are in accord with international guidelines.