§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Prime Minister if he will list the international agreements which prohibited the Government from giving advance notice to the House of 161W the recent transport of enriched uranium to Dounreay from Georgia; and what advice was taken on the interpretation of the relevant agreements. [40644]
§ The Prime MinisterThe Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material requires states who are parties to take measures to protect the confidentiality of information relating to the international transportation of nuclear material of the type imported from Georgia. The United Kingdom also follows the internationally agreed guidance in the document "The Physical Protection of Nuclear Material" published by the International Atomic Energy Agency. This recommends that advance knowledge of transport information should be limited to the minimum number of persons necessary. Advice on these international requirements and recommendations is routinely sought from the Director of Civil Nuclear Security who is the designated central authority for the UK on the physical protection of nuclear material, under the Convention. Furthermore, in this particular case, as I told the House on 22 April 1998,Official Report, column 818, it would have been most unwise to draw attention to the existence of this material before it could be secured and safely removed from Georgia.