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27 Feb 2006 : Column 135W—continued
Nuclear Fuels
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the market price of each category of nuclear fuel was on 13 February. [52321]
Malcolm Wicks: There is no fixed market price for categories of nuclear fuel. The price is commercially confidential information and is one which is agreed between the vendor and purchaser according to the terms of the contract.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 7 February 2006, Official Report, column 1073W, on nuclear fuels, how many tonnes of non-spent nuclear material were imported into the UK in the latest year for which records are available, broken down by country of export. [51716]
Malcolm Wicks: I am advised by British Energy that the last fabricated fuel imported into the UK was from Germany in 2004 and comprised 36.467 tonnes of uranium for Sizewell B power station.
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to his answer of 7 February 2006, Official Report, column 1073W, on nuclear fuels, if he will break down each of the volumes of uranium by isotope of uranium. [51731]
Malcolm Wicks: BNFL and British Energy inform me that volumes of uranium used in their reactors, for years where figures are available, are broken down as follows:
| BNFL | British Energy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tU-235 | tU-238 | tU-235 | tU-238 | |
| 2002 | — | — | 8.4 | 258.6 |
| 2003 | 3.067 | 420.49 | 8.5 | 260.5 |
| 2004 | 2.585 | 351.904 | 6.5 | 205.5 |
| 2005 | 2.970 | 405.29 | — | — |
Nuclear Power Stations (Water Use)
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of water used by a nuclear power station is of drinking water standard. [51489]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 13 February 2006]: British Energy's nuclear power stations use water from two sources:
Each year a station uses approximately 1.2 billion cubic metres of seawater. The average annual townswater consumption of a nuclear power station is approximately 700,000 cubic metres (although for Sizewell B power station this figure is approximately 300,000 cubic metres).
None of British Energy's nuclear power stations use abstracted water or brown-water (not drinking water standard) for routine operations. Specifically, Dungeness B has a lagoon which is predominantly made up of groundwater for use in an emergency (although it has never been called upon).
27 Feb 2006 : Column 136W
The percentage of water used by a British Energy nuclear power station of drinking water standard is 0.0006 per cent. (including seawater). Excluding seawater, the percentage is 100 per cent.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to ensure that sufficient quantities of water are always available to nuclear power stations, with particular reference to Dungeness. [51490]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 13 February 2006]: All of British Energy's nuclear power stations use water from two sources:
Both of these sources are required in order to generate electricity and the measures are contracts with the local water utilities for townswater and necessary permits for seawater, plus well maintained plant.
However, neither supply of water is required to safely shutdown the power stations.
All nuclear power stations maintain adequate, on-site, storage of alternative water supplies in order to safely shutdown the plant. Maintaining these supplies is a condition of their site licence requirements.
At Dungeness B alternative emergency water supplies are provided by on-site storage tanks. Further back-up supplies are maintained in a lagoon adjacent to the plant.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much water was used by Dungeness B in each of the last five years; and what the average quantity of water used by a nuclear power station was in each year. [51491]
Malcolm Wicks [holding answer 13 February 2006]: British Energy inform me that Dungeness B plant uses water from two sources:
Each year Dungeness B uses 1.2 billion cubic metres of seawater to cool steam used to turn its turbines—all of this water is returned to the English Channel.
Dungeness B uses townswater to make steam, and for other plant cooling requirements. The annual consumption of townswater at Dungeness B over the past 5-years has been:
| Cubic metres | |
|---|---|
| 2005: | 450,000 |
| 2004: | 768,000 |
| 2003: | n/a |
| 2002: | n/a |
| 2001: | n/a |
n/a—not available
The average quantity of townswater used by British Energy's nuclear power stations (based in England) in 2004 was 660,000 cubic metres.
BNFL report that the average quantity of water used by an operating Magnox power station each year is 1,300 million m 3 .
27 Feb 2006 : Column 137W
Pension Liabilities
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will estimate the net present value of accrued pension liabilities in respect of (a) present and (b) former employees of his Department and its predecessor. [52109]
Alan Johnson: The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme is an unfunded multi-employer defined benefit scheme and individual departments' pension liabilities are not available. The Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation Resource Accounts for 2004–05 showed that the total pension liability at 31 March 2005 was £84.1 billion. The value of pension liabilities was assessed as follows:
As a result of a change in the discount rate used for calculating pension liabilities with effect from 1 April 2005, the total pension liability at 1 April 2005 increased by £10.6 billion to £94.7 billion.
Post Office Card Account
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment the Government have made of the contribution of the Post Office card account to meeting its objectives on financial inclusion. [48727]
Mr. Plaskitt: I have been asked to reply.
In line with our wider policy on financial inclusion, we have always made it clear that payment into a bank account is the best option for the overwhelming majority of customers. The Post Office card account has played an important part as a stepping stone to financial inclusion, and has helped some people, previously unused to banking, get used to using a plastic card and personal identification number. However, the Post Office card account is a simple account with limited functions. It can only receive payments of benefits, pensions and tax credits. It does not, for example, allow customers to make savings on fuel bills by paying by direct debit; it cannot receive payments of wages; cheques cannot be paid into the Post Office card account; and it does not pay interest on balances.
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in (a) Beverley and Holderness and (b) East Riding of Yorkshire use the Post Office card account; and how many withdrawals of (i) pensions and (ii) other benefits from the Post Office card accounts there were in each area in the last two years. [52341]
Barry Gardiner:
This is an operational matter for Post Office Limited (POL). The Chief Operating Officer, David Miller has been asked to reply direct to the hon. Member.
27 Feb 2006 : Column 138W
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent by (a) his Department and (b) the Post Office on developing and introducing the Post Office card account. [52625]
Barry Gardiner: The Department was not involved financially or operationally in the development and introduction of the Post Office card account. The cost to the Post Office is one element of the Post Office card account contract costs. Detailed information on these costs is a commercial matter for Post Office Ltd.
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