NUCLEAR SAFETY AND THE FUTURE OF BNFL

Early day motion 539, tabled 15 March 2000 by David Chaytor (Labour). Signed by 54 members.

That this House is extremely concerned by the contents of the three reports by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate on management practices and safety at Sellafield; notes that the NII states that safety at Sellafield is only just tolerable; also notes that, following the falsification of data relating to MOX fuel supplied to Japan, the Japanese Government has blocked any further imports of MOX fuel from Britain; further notes that the German Government's policy on phasing out nuclear power will result in no new reprocessing contracts with Britain; recognises the uncertainty facing the long-term future of BNFL; and therefore calls on the Government to clarify the situation by stating unequivocally that the future of BNFL lies in becoming a world leader in nuclear clean-up, decommissioning, waste management and plutonium immobilisation technologies, and that the current contracts for reprocessing spent fuel should be renegotiated into contracts for dry storage.

Signatures by party: Labour 33, Liberal Democrat 12, Labour/Co-operative 3, Plaid Cymru 2, Scottish National Party 2, Conservative 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.