To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expressions of interest his Department has received from local authorities to host nuclear waste disposal sites further to the consultation on managing radioactive waste safety. (270471)

I have been asked to reply.

Geological disposal involves placing higher activity radioactive waste in an engineered underground containment facility designed so that natural barriers and man-made barriers work together to minimise the escape of radioactivity over the long timescales required to allow the radioactivity to decay.

Coupled with the “Managing Radioactive Waste Safely” White Paper published on 12 June 2008, was an invite to communities to ‘express an interest’ in entering without commitment discussions on the possibility of hosting a geological disposal facility at some point in the future.

Since then expressions of interest have been made by Copeland borough council (July 2008), Cumbria county council (December 2008) and Allerdale borough council (February 2009).

The option to express an interest will be left open for the foreseeable future and we hope that this is the beginning of a number of approaches to Government.