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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 6 September 1990
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Nuclear Power
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement of current Government policy in respect of the activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Euratom in the implementation of safeguards for nuclear material designated for peaceful uses through the continuous surveillance of nuclear facilities and materials.
Mr. Baldry : I have been asked to reply.
The Government's policy continues to be that all civil nuclear material held in the United Kingdom is subject to Euratom safeguards under the Euratom treaty of 1957 and to the terms of the United Kingdom--Euratom-- IAEA safeguards agreement of 6 September 1976--IAEA INFCIRC 263.
ENERGY
Nuclear Incidents (Reporting)
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what nuclear incidents his Department has reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency's incident reporting system since the United Kingdom joined in March 1986 ; and what is the average time gap between an incident being reported by the relevant United Kingdom operator to his Department and subsequently conveyed to the incident reporting system.
Mr. Baldry : In the United Kingdom, the Health and Safety Executive's nuclear installations inspectorate co-ordinates reports to the International Atomic Energy Agency's incident reporting system. To date 53 such events in the United Kingdom have been reported. The time gap between the incident being reported by the operator and its subsequent transmission to the IAEA is usually about three days.
The primary aim of the International Atomic Energy Agency's incident reporting system is to improve safety by analysing the causes of unusual events and providing operational feedback to member states. Such events are therefore selected for reporting on the basis of the lessons that can be learned from them rather than the consequences associated with them. This system is, of course, additional to two IAEA conventions--on the early notification of nuclear accidents and on mutual assistance in the case of a nuclear accident--which were adopted by the general conference in September 1986.
Wind Turbine
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if his Department has assessed the viability of the new wind turbine developed by Alastair Reed Associates, Glasgow ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Moynihan : My Department has not been approached by Alastair Reed Associates, and their wind turbine has not been assessed.
Radioactive Waste Management
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what safeguards arrangements currently apply to United Kingdom-produced spent reactor fuel and reprocessed plutonium.
Mr. Baldry : All civil spent reactor fuel and plutonium is subject to Euratom safeguards under the Euratom treaty of 1957 and to the terms of the UK-Euratom-IAEA safeguards agreement of 6 September 1976--IAEA INFCIRC 263.
Heating Conversion System
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether his Department or the energy technology support unit at Harwell has assessed the energy-saving potential of the TRI SOL heating conversion system ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Moynihan : The TRI SOL heating system is the subject of a project under the European Communities' former demonstration programme for energy technologies. The project is expected to be completed in December 1990 and the results of an assessment of it should be available from the Commission of the European Communities in 1991.
Hinkley Point C
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish the report of the Hinkley Point C inquiry before he announces his decision and before the House rises for the summer adjournment.
Mr. Wakeham [pursuant to his replies, 2 July 1990, c. 431 and 20 July 1990, c. 760-61] : I have today decided to grant consent undersection 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 and to direct that planning permission should be given pursuant to section 90(2) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to Nuclear Electric plc for the extension of the Hinkley Point nuclear power stations by the construction and operation of an additional PWR generation station to be known as Hinkley Point C.
My decision on whether Nuclear Electric plc will be given the necessary financial approval to allow the project to proceed will depend upon the outcome of the review of nuclear policy scheduled for 1994 which I announced to the House in my statement of 9 November 1989.
Copies of my decision letter together with the inspector's report are being placed in the Libraries of the House.
A copy of my decision letter and the inspector's conclusions and recommendations will be available from the Vote Office.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Rendering Industry
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields on 23 July, if he will list the dates on which he had meetings with representatives of the United Kingdom rendering industry.
Mr. Gummer : As stated in my earlier reply to the hon. Gentleman, Ministers in this Department frequently meet representatives of the rendering industry. My most recent meeting with the industry was on 11 July, and I also visited a plant belonging to one of the largest United Kingdom renderers on the same day.
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OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
India
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total amount of United Kingdom bilateral aid spent on energy projects in India since 1980.
Mrs. Chalker [holding answer 26 June 1990] : United Kingdom financial aid for energy projects, including coal mining and oil and natural gas, in India has been £477 million since 1980, including estimated expenditure for 1989. In addition, expenditure on technical assistance has totalled £31 million in the same period.
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