§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the relevant Swiss electricity company and the Swiss nuclear regulatory authorities in respect of problems discovered with MOX plutonium fuel exported to Switzerland from Sellafield. [104698]
§ Mrs. LiddellNone. This is a matter for the companies and the national regulatory authorities concerned.
§ Mr. Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer of 16 December 1999,Official Report, column 235W, on plutonium fuel, if he is in a position to make public the details of the remedial measures being put in place to rectify safety management problems in MOX nuclear fuel manufacture at Sellafield; and what further meetings he has had with the HSE (N11) on this matter since 1 December 1999. [104726]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe work to address the issues associated with the falsification of quality assurance data at BNFL's MOX Demonstration Facility at Sellafield is still continuing. As I made clear in my reply of 16 December 1999,Official Report, column 235W, I have asked the company to make public details of the remedial measures being taken as soon as possible, consistent with the need to address these matters thoroughly and to satisfy the HSE fully as to the adequacy of the company's proposals. On 15 December 1999, I received a briefing from HSE's Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations on progress with HSE's independent investigation into this matter. I understand HSE intend to publish a report on their findings next month.