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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Answer

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the outcome of the recent Ospar meeting in Germany; and what the implications are of decisions taken for Sellafield. [123667] Mr. Morley: I made a written statement on 9 July about the outcome of the OSPAR meeting. The meeting agreed that the years 1995-2001 would be used to calculate the baselines against which progress in achieving the objectives of the 1998 strategy would be measured. The Ministerial statement agreed at the meeting included the following passage: "We note the concerns expressed by a number of Contracting Parties about discharges of technetium-99 from Sellafield and their view that these discharges should cease immediately. We welcome the recent initiative of the United Kingdom to request the operator of Sellafield to stop discharges from the MAC treatment process for the next nine months while further research and development of abatement technology is carried out. We look forward to the introduction of such technology to treat remaining MAC if it proves to be technically feasible." My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, wrote to the Chairman of BNFL shortly before the OSPAR meeting. Careful consideration will be given to BNFL's full response when it is received, and to any other representations the Department receives on this issue before any further decisions are taken on the future regulation of technetium-99 discharges from Sellafield.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

123667; 409 c153W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Radioactive waste Research Waste disposal Seas and oceans Sellafield OSPAR Commission

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk