§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is the Government's policy on EU Directive 96/29 in respect of the recycling of radioactive waste in consumer goods. [23618]
§ Angela EagleDirective 96/29/Euratom lays down revised European Union basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionising radiation. It must be implemented into UK legislation by May 2000.
The Directive effectively sets levels of radioactivity above which radioactive materials must be the subject of regulatory control. The Directive, however, gives Member States discretion in setting levels for the release from regulatory control of materials for disposal, recycling and re-use.
The Government are giving careful consideration to this matter and their proposals will be the subject of full public consultation planned for later this year.