§ Mr. BakerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps she takes to ensure plutonium held for civil purposes cannot fall into the hands of people whose possession of such would constitute a threat to national security. [34471]
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§ Mr. BattleThe stringent physical protection measures in place for the protection of civil plutonium follow the relevant international recommendations published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These measures are kept under review to ensure their continuing effectiveness. For security reasons, I cannot give the details of the precise measures which are taken.
Civil plutonium at UK nuclear facilities are subject to Euratom safeguards and to the terms of the UK Safeguards Agreement with Euratom and the IAEA.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate she has made of the costs of providing security to protect the stocks of plutonium held for civil purposes for the latest year for which figures are available. [34470]
§ Mr. BattleSecurity costs for nuclear facilities are funded by the operator responsible for the relevant facility. They would include both the installation and maintenance costs of a range of physical protection measures, the guarding costs and the costs of the independent regulation of that security envelope. It is not possible to provide separate estimates of the costs of protecting the United Kingdom's stocks of civil plutonium.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much plutonium has been(a) exported from the UK and (b) imported into the UK for each year since 1979 indicating the countries of origin and destination for each movement. [34485]
§ Mr. BattleDetails of the quantities of civil plutonium exported from, and imported to, the United Kingdom, including countries of origin and destination, are published by my Department each year. Copies of all the annual plutonium figures since 1987 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Figures relating to exports and imports before 1987 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much civil plutonium has been held in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979. [34475]
§ Mr. BattleDetails of the quantities of civil plutonium stored at United Kingdom nuclear facilities, including its form and ownership, are published by my Department each year. Copies of all the annual plutonium figures since 1987 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Figures relating to holdings before 1987 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. BakerTo ask the President of the Board of Trade how much civil plutonium has been(a) produced in the United Kingdom and (b) used in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979. [34473]
§ Mr. BattleDetails of the quantities of civil plutonium produced and used at United Kingdom nuclear facilities are published by my Department each year. Copies of all the annual plutonium figures since 1987 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Figures relating to civil plutonium produced and used before 1987 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.