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Royal Air Force
Mr. Mans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy for securing value for money in the support of RAF aircraft; and if he will make a statement.[12920]
Mr. Arbuthnot: In defence procurement generally, our policy is to obtain equipment and services from the supplier providing the best value for money, taking all relevant factors into account. We apply that policy in the support of in-service aircraft. As an example of this, and following two keen competitions, it is our intention to award two contracts which will provide component repair and maintenance support to the RAF's TriStar fleet for the next five years: We intend to award a contract for component repair to Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) Ltd. and one for aircraft maintenance to the Gulf Aircraft maintenance company, subject to the satisfactory conclusion of contractual negotiations.
Atomic Weapons Establishment
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress being made to commission the A91 liquid waste treatment plant at AWE Aldermaston. [11831]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The civil engineering contractor is well advanced with his part of the commissioning process. AWE commissioning will then take place. A91 is now expected to be operational in 1998.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what plans he has to construct a size reduction facility at AWE Aldermaston; when; and at what cost; [11829]
- (2) when the purpose-built store for storing the treated waste from the sludge solidification system at AWE Aldermaston is to be completed; and at what cost; [11832]
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(3) what assessment he has made of the capacity at AWE Aldermaston for new nuclear waste stores for storage of waste planned to be disposed of at the proposed repository beyond 2010; [11828]
(4) when the new store planned for the plutonium-contaminated material contained within waste stream 7A21 is to be built; and at what cost. [11830]
Mr. Arbuthnot: Plans for the treatment and storage of intermediate level waste generated at AWE are kept under continuous review. Decisions as to the necessity for further ILW storage at AWE will depend on a number of factors, including the availability of facilities such as the deep waste repository to be developed by Nirex.
A scheme to provide a size reduction facility at AWE Aldermaston is under way. Present plans are for it to be operational early in the next century. The cost is still subject to negotiation and is not therefore available. There are no plans to create a new store for treated waste from the sludge solidification system at AWE. Such material can continue to be stored in existing facilities.
"Waste Stream 7A21" is a term used by Nirex Ltd. to designate waste contaminated by plutonium or uranium. Nirex Ltd.'s planning for future storage arrangements is proceedings. As far as my Department's responsibilities are concerned, safe and secure interim arrangements are provided, as necessary, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the estimated volume of nuclear waste arising from decommissioning of old plant and facilities at AWE Aldermaston which (a) cannot be disposed of at Drigg and (b) will need to be stored at AWE Aldermaston until 2010. [12121]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
Approximately 2100 cu m of low and intermediate level radioactive waste, primarily resulting from the decommissioning of old plant and facilities and which cannot be disposed of at Drigg, will arise at AWE by the end of 2010. This will be safely stored at AWE in purpose--built facilities until the deep waste repository to be developed by Nirex becomes available.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many glove boxes are at present stored at AWE Aldermaston; and what plans he has to dispose of them. [12063]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
At present there are 41 glove boxes stored at Aldermaston. Decommissioned glove boxes are classified as intermediate level waste. It is intended that they will be stored, following size reduction and supercompaction, at the deep waste repository to be developed by Nirex Ltd. Until the DWR is available, safe and secure storage is provided at AWE Aldermaston.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library an unclassified version of AWE Aldermaston's comprehensive decommissioning and waste management plan. [12064]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
Plans for decommissioning facilities at AWE and for waste management consist of a number of separate documents. Decommissioning plans contain much detailed information on facilities and their present and intended functions. Such information is highly sensitive and any attempt at an unclassified version would
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render the resultant document meaningless. As to waste management, considerable information is already reported to the relevant regulatory bodies and we have at present no plans to consolidate such material.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the sludge solidification system planned for AWE Aldermaston was completed; if it is operational; and what was its total cost. [12091]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
The sludge solidification system is planned to be completed prior to the radioactive waste effluent treatment plant, building A91, becoming operational in 1998. The cost is commercially confidential and I am therefore withholding it under exemption 7 of the code of practice on access to Government information relating to effective management and operations of the public service.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the establishments in the United States visited by employees of the Atomic Weapons Establishment under the aegis of the 1958 mutual defence agreement and the Trident sales agreement, indicating the number of visits to each, in each of the financial years 1990-91 to 1994-95. [12123]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, a significant proportion of the visits would have been to Lawrence Livermore national laboratory, Sandia national laboratories, Los Alamos national laboratory, and various Department of Defence and Department of Energy Government offices.
Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implications of the chemical tests carried out by Her Majesty's Government on West Indian islands; and for what reasons the appropriate papers were not made available under the 30-year rule. [11769]
Mr. Arbuthnot:
My Department's records indicate that trials using live biological agents took place at sea off the Leeward islands in late 1948 and early 1949 to determine the practicability of conducting biological warfare trials at sea. The authorities in Antigua were consulted at the planning stages and the agreement of the governor was obtained before the trials took place. We are confident that the trials did not result in any infections among the human or animal populations of Antigua. The nature and purpose of the trials was not made public at the time, given the security considerations applying in the cold war era; however, the fact that the trials involved the release of live biological agents has been in the public domain since 1982.
The United Kingdom has not possessed an offensive biological weapons capability since shortly after the second world war, and, indeed, is a co-depositary of the 1972 biological and toxin weapons convention, playing an active role in the current efforts to strengthen the convention.
Official records are released in accordance with the terms of the Public Records Act 1958. Certain papers concerning the subject in question were retained in my Department under section 3(S)4 of the Act on grounds of
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national security. Such papers are subject periodically to re-review and the majority of papers on this subject have now been released, their sensitivity having lapsed.
Mr Spellar:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement regarding the award of construction contracts at RNAS Yeovilton. [12040]
Mr. Artbuthnot:
A requirement exists at RNAS Yeovilton for living accommodation, hangars, stores and offices to house those moving from HMS Osprey, Portland, Dorset.
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