§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on United Kingdom policy in respect of the court case brought by the Irish Republic at the permanent court of arbitration in The Hague on the non-disclosure of documents relating to the operation of the Sellafield MOX plant. [77238]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Government of Ireland requested from the United Kingdom Government full versions of two reports about the economic justification of the Sellafield MOX plant prepared by the independent consultants PA Consulting and AD Little. Both reports contain items of commercially confidential information and these were redacted from the versions published by Ministers in 1999 and 2001 as part of the public consultation process. The Government is entitled to protect that information from public disclosure on the grounds that its release would cause unreasonable damage to BNFL's commercial operations and the prospects for its MOX business in particular. Accordingly, the Government has declined Ireland's request.
In accordance with Article 32(1) of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (the 'OSPAR Convention') Ireland requested that an Arbitral Tribunal be established, claiming that the United Kingdom Government was in breach of its obligations under that Convention by declining to provide Ireland with the information requested. Following the appointment of arbitrators and the constitution of the Tribunal, both sides submitted written pleadings prior to an oral hearing held at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague between 21–25 October 2002. The Tribunal will deliver its Award in due course. The written submissions and the transcripts of the oral hearing can be found on the PCA website at www.pca-cpa.org.
§ Llew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which facilities at Sellafield are licensed for the re-dissolution of unirradiated Mox fuel. [77297]
§ Mr. WilsonThe Health and Safety Executive's nuclear site licences are granted in respect of sites rather then individual facilities. Under conditions attached to such site licences, HSE requires that for every operation on site that may affect safety, the licensee shall prepare a safety case to demonstrate that any proposed activity will be safe.
Sellafield currently does not have a safety case for a production facility to re-dissolve unirradiated MoX fuel. However, BNFL is considering various options for reusing the fissile material, including fuel dissolution and fuel pellet crushing into a powder; re-dissolution may involve modifications to existing plant. I understand that in due course BNFL will be submitting proposals to HSE, including any necessary safety case, to gain permission for the proposed activity.
973W
§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representation she has received concerning the decommissioning of Sellafield in the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [77546]
§ Mr. WilsonMany representations have been received from hon. Members, their constituents, non-government organisations and foreign states regarding decommissioning of Sellafield in the last ten years.
The question of how to manage the whole of the UK's civil nuclear liabilities more effectively—which includes decommissioning at Sellafield—is the subject of the Government's recent White Paper "Managing the Nuclear Legacy—A Strategy For Action". The White Paper proposes fundamental changes to current management arrangements including the establishment of a new strategic body, the Liabilities Management Authority (LMA). The LMA's task will be to ensure that the nuclear legacy is cleaned up safely, securely, cost effectively, and in ways which protect the environment for current and future generations. The Government intends to ensure that the work of the LMA is carried out in a transparent manner.