Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Sellafield Ltd, the Office of Nuclear Regulation and other relevant bodies about existing, or potential, public safety, wildlife vulnerability and security risks arising from the condition of nuclear waste storage ponds at Sellafield; what was the outcome of any such discussions; and what action they are taking to deal with any risks that may have been identified.

It is a national priority to reduce the hazard and risk at Sellafield in a safe and timely manner and progress in addressing the hazards at Sellafield is kept under frequent review. The actual detail of the programmes and the actions to maintain safety, are matters between Sellafield Ltd. as the site licence company and ONR as the independent nuclear regulator. Sellafield is ONR’s highest regulatory priority and receives a significantly enhanced level of regulatory attention.

Security at Sellafield is specifically designed to address a wide range of credible threats, with measures including perimeter and internal physical barriers, detection and surveillance technologies and an armed response provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. In line with internationally established principle of continuous improvement, the Sellafield site has seen a series of security enhancements over the last few years to ensure security remains robust.