§ Mr. MaclennanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which authority has regulatory responsibility for the waste disposal shaft and other repositories of waste at Dounreay. [32797]
§ Mr. Macdonald[holding answer 3 March 1998]The regulatory responsibilities on nuclear licensed sites such as Dounreay are differentiated according to the activities being carried out, not specifically according to the facility. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulates primarily the disposal of radioactive waste on or from the site and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regulates primarily hazards both to workers and to members of the public from any work carried out on the site, including the accumulation and storage of radioactive waste. The waste disposal shaft, which has not been used since 1977, is a disposal facility for Intermediate Level Waste. Accordingly, SEPA regulates aspects relating to disposal of waste and HSE regulates aspects relating to 779W work on the shaft. A similar split of responsibilities relates to the pits where Low Level Waste is disposed. Radioactive waste is also stored in a number of facilities at Dounreay. HSE regulates the accumulation and storage of the waste while SEPA regulates any discharge from these stores. SEPA and HSE co-operate to ensure effective and comprehensive regulation of the site.