§ Ms Roseanna CunninghamTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will place in the Library a copy of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's report on Dounreay' s fuel cycle area, referred to in the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate's Site Inspector's Quarterly report for UKAEA-Dounreay for 1 January to 31 March. [43067]
§ Mr. Battle[holding answer 21 May 1998]The NII report covers areas that will form the subject of the major audit into the Management of Safety at the Dounreay plant which was announced by HSE on Friday 15 May. The report of that audit will be published later this summer.
§ Ms Roseanna CunninghamTo ask the President of the Board of Trade when a statement will be made regarding the UKAEA application for funding for the repair of Dounreay plant D1206; and what criteria will govern her decision. [43069]
§ Mr. Battle[holding answer 21 May 1998]My officials are in discussion with UKAEA about their proposals for the repair of the Dounreay plant D1206 and, when they have been concluded, they will make a recommendation to me regarding plans for the future of the D1206 plant. Depending on the outcome of these discussions, I may wish to consult more widely before making a decision.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what directions and instructions have been issued in the last month to the UKAEA by the Safety Inspectorate. [42376]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 18 May 1998]I have been advised by the UKAEA that the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), during the past month, have issued one direction which requires the UKAEA to shut down all processing activities in the Dounreay Fuel Cycle Area facility other than those operations and activities which are necessary to maintain the safe condition of the facility. In addition, and following on from the formal direction, the NII have issued the two following oral instructions. Firstly, no excavation permits may be issued until further notice and all excavation permits currently in force must be suspended until further notice. The only exception is the work to repair the damaged cable. Secondly, evidence must be preserved for the NII investigation into the power failure.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade which facilities at Dounreay are not currently functioning; and what recent reports she has received on the safety and condition of the plant. [42120]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 18 May 1998]No reprocessing facilities are currently functioning in the Fuel Cycle Area at Dounreay apart from those required for safety purposes. Otherwise, normal Decommissioning and 121W Waste Management Operations are continuing at the site. Work at Dounreay continues to be subject to strict independent regulation by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. My officials hold quarterly meetings with the NII at which policy matters are discussed. Specific safety issues are a matter between the NII and UKAEA, but my Department does have sight of the NII Site Inspector's quarterly report on Dounreay. I expect my Department to receive full reports from both UKAEA and NII after they have concluded their investigations into the recent incident at the site.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what investment the UKAEA is planning at its Dounreay facilities in the next three years; and what revisions to these plans have been made in the last six months. [42122]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 18 May 1998]The UKAEA's expenditure plans at Dounreay are described in the 1996–97 UKAEA Annual Review, which is available in the Library of the House. Such plans are reviewed at least annually by my officials. It is normal practice to withhold precise details of expected project costs to protect UKAEA's ability to subject the work to competition. The only significant revision in the last six months was the decision to retrieve waste from the Shaft which was reported to Parliament on 31 March 1998. We are currently waiting for UKAEA to complete their proposal for investment in a replacement dissolver in the Prototype Fast Reactor fuel reprocessing plant. This expenditure by UKAEA is aimed at discharging their main function which is removal of their existing nuclear liabilities safely, with due regard for the environment and at minimum cost to the taxpayer.
§ Mr. RedwoodTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if the recycling capacity at Dounreay is currently operational. [42121]
§ Mrs. Beckett[holding answer 18 May 1998]The reprocessing capacity at Dounreay is not currently operational. UKAEA suspended all reprocessing operations on Friday 8 May, pending a full safety review following an incident on the previous day.