HC Deb 26 February 2001 vol 363 cc417-8W
Mrs. Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on the safety impact on residents in the North of Scotland of the decommissioning of Dounreay. [150938]

Mr. Hain

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) published last year a comprehensive plan for the decommissioning of the Dounreay site and its environmental restoration. A key objective of this plan is to remove the major hazards from the site as soon as practical.

UKAEA and its contractors are subject to strict safety procedures for the decommissioning process and are governed by the regulations and guidelines laid down by the independent regulators, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.