§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work for his Department will be undertaken at the BNFL Magnox facility at Berkeley Centre in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement. [55133]
§ Mr. SpellarA programme of work will be carried out at the Berkeley Centre on a small quantity of nuclear material owned by the Ministry of Defence and held 727W outside international safeguards. The Berkeley centre has previously only worked with safeguarded material, as it has not been involved in military nuclear programmes, which are unsafeguarded. The work is essential to meet a clear requirement to provide assurance of the continued safe operation of submarine nuclear reactors, and it is not connected with the nuclear weapons programme. The facilities to be used are unique to the Berkeley centre. The work, which is a short study, will take about seven months to complete. Upon completion of the study and the removal of the unsafeguarded material the Berkeley Centre will return to its fully safeguarded status.