Parliamentary Search

Written question asked by Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 16 October 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 23 October 2024 (named day). It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Wednesday, 23 October 2024 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Rosyth Dockyard: Nuclear Submarines

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure the safety of and (b) mitigate potential risks posed by the decommissioning of nuclear submarines at Rosyth Royal Dockyard for surrounding residential areas.

Answer

All the submarines currently stored at Rosyth have already been defueled, which has significantly reduced overall potential risk. Further, steps include contractual requirements with Babcock International around safety and environmental factors. These include regular sampling of surrounding waters and beaches, and dismantling one boat as a demonstrator to determine the safest methods before starting on other boats.

In addition to the safety and environmental activities the Ministry of Defence and Babcock undertake, we also comply with permits and regulatory requirements from the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator (DNSR), the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). This includes annual emergency exercises with ONR to plan and test for any potential incidents, in the very unlikely event that a significant issue may occur.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
9536
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Decommissioning Nuclear submarines Safety Rosyth Dockyard
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk