§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to agree voluntarily to International Atomic Energy Agency inspections as provided for in the Additional Protocol; and if she will make a statement. [136699]
§ Nigel GriffithsThe protocol additional to the UK/ Euratom/IAEA safeguards agreement was approved by the IAEA Board of Governors in June 1998 and was signed by the UK Governor and the European Commission on 22 September 1998. The legislation necessary to implement the protocol in the UK, the Nuclear Safeguards Act 2000, will enter into force when the European Commission has confirmed that it is ready to implement the protocol. Voluntary declarations of the type of information that the UK will be required to provide under Article 2 of the protocol have been provided to the IAEA since 1999. We have also indicated our willingness to allow complementary access visits to locations in the UK, as provided for in our protocol, on a voluntary basis. Prior to entry into force of the Nuclear Safeguards Act, any such access will require the agreement of those responsible for the location concerned.