§ Mr. McGradyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what reviews his Department has undertaken of the transportation of radioactive waste by land, sea and air for reprocessing purposes to Sellafield. [12951]
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§ Ms Glenda JacksonThe safety regulations for the transport of radioactive material, including radioactive waste, are reviewed nationally and internationally on an ongoing basis to ensure that the good safety record of this transport is maintained.
The then Advisory Committee on the Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials—ACTRAM—carried out an independent study of the safety of transport of low level waste, published in 1988 as "The Transport of Low Level Radioactive Waste in the UK, ISBN 0 11 752087", a copy of which is held in the Library.
In addition, the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee—RWMAC—has published a report, "The Import and Export of Radioactive Waste, ISBN 1 85112 0467 (September 1997)", a copy of which is in the Library. RWMAC recommends that special tests be applied to each application for the import or export of radioactive waste, to ensure it accords with Government policy.
The Department also commissions periodic studies of the radiological impact of the transport of radioactive material on a modal basis. The latest studies carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) on the Department's behalf are: "Radiological Impact of the Normal Transport of Radioactive Materials by Sea", by R. Gelder, NRPB Memorandum NRPB-M749 (December 1996); "Radiation Exposure from the Normal Transport of Radioactive Materials within the UK 1991 Review", by R. Gelder, NRPB Report NRPB-R255, ISBN 0 85951 351 3 (May 1992); and "Radiological Impact of the Normal Transport of Radioactive Materials by Air", by R. Gelder, NRPB Memorandum NRPB-M219 (March 1990).