Vol. 394 No. 8
35 Mr. Taylor asked the Minister for Health if he will outline the present arrangements for the disposal of low level radioactive waste from medical equipment in hospitals and the research departments of the universities who use same; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The disposal of radioactive waste is subject to control by licence under the Nuclear Energy, (General Control of Fissile Fuels, Radioactive Substances and Irradiating Apparatus) Order 1977, Statutory Instrument Number 166 of 1977.
While matters relating to radioactivity are the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Energy, I am certainly concerned to ensure adequate safety in this area as disposal of radioactive waste is a particularly controversial issue nowadays.
The competent authority in this case is the Nuclear Energy Board. Hospitals operate under licence from the board and dispose of radioactive waste in accordance with the terms of these licences.
The licence granted by the Nuclear Energy Board specifies the limits for disposal into the environment for different groups of radioisotopes and these limits depend on the radiotoxicity of the radioisotopes in question. The regulatory control of disposal is conducted by the inspection staff of the board.
My Department are in regular contact with the Nuclear Energy Board on this issue.
