Dr. Desmond TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what representations he has made to secure the OSPAR agreed cessation of radioactive discharges from the reprocessing plant at Cap de La Hague in France. [64104]
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§ Mr. MeacherIt is for France, as an OSPAR Contracting Party, to decide how it will implement the undertakings made at the OSPAR Ministerial Meeting last July. I understand that the French Government are carrying out a full review of discharge authorisations for the La Hague site and that they expect to make an announcement shortly.
Dr. Desmond TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards the cessation of(a) liquid and (b) gaseous radioactive discharges from (i) nuclear reprocessing plants and (ii) nuclear generating stations in accordance with the OSPAR agreement. [64103]
§ Mr. MeacherIn accordance with the undertakings made at the OSPAR Ministerial Meeting last July, the Government are working towards achieving further substantial reductions or elimination of discharges of radioactive substances. UK nuclear operators will be producing twenty-year strategies to show options for reducing discharges, by 2020, to levels which add negligible amounts to historic concentrations in the marine environment.
The Environment Agency has completed its consideration of BNFL's applications to vary radioactive discharges from the Sellafield site and the Agency's draft decisions are being considered by Ministers. Requests for the applications to be "called-in" for the Secretary of State's own determination are also being considered and decisions will be announced as soon as possible.