HC Deb 15 October 2002 vol 390 cc678-80W
Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 23 July, ref 70369, what definition she gives to the materials that are to he transported from Japan to Sellafield. [73700]

Mr. Wilson

The material is unused Mixed Oxide Fuel.

Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the reply dated 23 July, ref 70369, what future use she plans for the material being transported from Japan to Sellafield. [73702]

Mr. Wilson

This is a matter for BNFL. I understand there are a number of options under consideration for re-use of the fuel.

Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many shipments of nuclear materials from which she believes reusable materials may be recovered are expected to be made by sea to Sellafield within the next two years. [73507]

Mr. Wilson

The timing, numbers and nature of deliveries under reprocessing contracts are a commercial matter between BNFL and its customers.

Mr. Wray

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many shipments of nuclear waste have entered the UK for processing and disposal since 1997; where each shipment originated from; and how much money was received for the taking in of each shipment. [74595]

Mr. Wilson

Details of the timing of deliveries to the UK of spent nuclear fuel from overseas in fulfilment of reprocessing contracts is an operational matter for the organisations concerned. The detailed contractual arrangements, including contract prices, are a commercial matter between the contracting parties.

In respect of BNFL's contracts for THORP, it can be noted that details of the customer countries, the total amounts of spent fuel to he reprocessed and the overall value of the contracts was included in BNFL's July 1993 publication "the Economic and Commercial Justification for THORP", a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House. Since 1976 all BNFL's reprocessing contracts with overseas customers have included options for returning to the country of origin waste arising from reprocessing the fuel. It is the Government's policy that these options should be exercised.

UKAEA no longer undertakes fuel reprocessing. There has been one delivery of irradiated fuel to Dounreay since 1997—a small quantity of fuel from Georgia received in April 1998 on behalf of the UK Government.

Mr. Weir

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to the answer of 23 July 2002, ref. 70369, what materials, and in what quantity, can be recovered and re-used from the material to be transported from Japan to Sellafield. [73701]

Mr. Wilson

I understand from BNFL that the fuel returned to the UK from Japan contains 3439 kilograms of uranium and 255 kilograms of plutonium and that all of the uranium and plutonium can be re-used.

Mr. Yeo

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the role of nuclear power in energy production over the next 50 years. [74362]

Ms Hewitt

The Government is currently carrying out a review of future energy policy with a view to issuing a White Paper in the New Year. The review includes consideration of the role of nuclear power generation.

Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received regarding market pressures constraining nuclear generator revenue. [71515]

Mr. Wilson

The Department has received several representations from a number of players, including nuclear generators, regarding the market pressures on nuclear generator revenue.