§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her written statement of 11 December 2002,Official Report, columns 20–22WS, on technetium-99, whether THORP produces technetium-99 wastes; what evidence she considered when assessing whether the continued reprocessing of Magnox and thermal oxide spent fuel at Sellafield was justified; and when she expects to consider the question whether to undertake a review of justification under Article 6(2) of Directive 96/29/Evratom. [87829]
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§ Margaret BeckettTHORP does produce technetium-99 wastes, but these account for a small fraction of the totality of technetium-99 discharges from the Sellafield site. By far the largest proportion of technetium-99 discharges from that site originate from the reprocessing of Magnox spent fuel.
We have considered the information that has been provided by the Environment Agency in its published documents, and information that has been provided in the form of representations both to the Agency and directly to Ministers concerning technetium-99. We have concluded that as discharges of technetium-99 constitute only one small aspect of the practice of Magnox spent fuel reprocessing and the practice of spent oxide fuel reprocessing, it would be more appropriate to consider whether their justification should be reviewed when considering the other radioactive discharges that arise from those practices.
With regard to the reprocessing of spent Magnox fuel, the Environment Agency has carried out a separate review of the remaining radioactive discharges from the Sellafield site (other than technetium-99), including those from Magnox reprocessing and, in August, published its proposed decision for Ministers to consider. We intend to come to a view on the Agency's proposals, and come to a conclusion as to whether it is necessary to review the practice of Magnox reprocessing as to justification in the spring of next year.
With regard to the reprocessing of spent oxide fuel, the Government set out the position with respect to the continued operation of THORP in the White Paper on Managing Nuclear Energy which was published in July 2002. If and when any proposals for new contracts for THORP are received, the Government will review the range of issues involved in increasing the current volume of oxide fuel to be reprocessed. One of those issues will be the appropriateness of carrying out a review of the practice of reprocessing spent oxide fuel.