§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the current quantity of plutonium stockpiled in the United Kingdom; where it is stockpiled; and what assessment she has made of the quantities unaccounted for in the last 10 years. [37138]
§ Mr. BattleI refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Lewes (Mr. Baker), on 13 February 1998,Official Report, column 372, which stated that details of the quantities of civil plutonium stored at United Kingdom nuclear facilities are published by my Department each year.
Figures for civil nuclear material unaccounted for, including plutonium, have been published annually by the industry since 1977. Each year, the figures are subject to careful review by specialists in my Department, who remain satisfied that they are consistent with what would normally be expected and that there is no evidence to suggest that there has been any actual loss of material. Civil nuclear material in the UK is also subject to the independent oversight of international nuclear safeguards inspectorates and to rigorous physical protection measures by the nuclear operators.