Written question asked by Gordon Prentice (Labour) on Wednesday, 12 June 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 25 June 2002. It was answered by Michael Meacher (Labour) on Tuesday, 25 June 2002 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards are in place to prevent the theft of radioactive material from (a) hospitals, (b) universities and (c) other establishments licensed to hold such material.

Answer: Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what safeguards are in place to prevent the theft of radioactive material from (a) hospitals, (b) universities and (c) other establishments licensed to hold such material. [62543] Mr. Meacher: Under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 any person who keeps or uses radioactive material must have a certificate of registration from the Environment Agency. The certificates impose responsibilities in respect of security and general management. The Agency carries out a regular programme of inspections to ensure that the conditions of the certificate are being complied with. The Agency would not hesitate to take enforcement action if conditions were not being complied with. The Agency has recently carried out a programme of inspections at sites holding higher activity sources. At most sites security arrangements were found to be satisfactory. In a small number of cases the need for improvements was identified. The Agency will ensure that these improvements are implemented.

Secondary information