§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the implications of the declaration of the Association of Caribbean States concerning the transhipment of radioactive wastes and nuclear materials through the Caribbean for plans to send by sea nuclear materials from Sellafield to Japan. [82850]
§ Mr. BattleThe Government are aware of the declaration. All shipments by sea of nuclear materials are undertaken fully in compliance with all relevant international standards, regulations and recommendations relating to the transport by sea of hazardous cargoes and nuclear materials. Compliance with these standards and regulations, which are developed within, and regularly reviewed by, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Atomic Energy Agency, ensures that the risk to health, safety and the environment posed by the transport of nuclear materials is negligible. The right of innocent passage is a fundamental 327W principle of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ships operating in compliance with the Convention, and with all applicable international regulations, retain that fundamental right.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the preferred route to be used to transport by sea nuclear materials from Sellafield to Japan, indicating the criteria used in selecting the preferred routes. [82852]
§ Mr. WilsonThe choice of route for any such shipment is made taking account of a range of operational factors including weather forecasts and security considerations. The chosen route is normally announced two days after the ship departs from Europe.