SUMMARY

  The Dounreay trade unions, IPMS, PCS, AEEU, TGWU, and GMB consider that the acceptance of five kg of highly enriched uranium from Georgia was largely routine but was blown out of proportion because of poor presentation by the government. This reflected badly on the site and its workforce.

LOCATION

  The trade unions understand that the decision to accept this material was made by the UK government as part of its non-proliferation policy and to enhance international safety and security. This inherently was a good news story for the UKAEA and Dounreay but the impact was greatly distorted by the presentation of the news by the media.

  The trade unions are aware that the choice of Dounreay was because it has the most suitable facilities anywhere in the world to deal with this process which is similar to that which has been routinely undertaken at the plant for the last 40 years. The site has appropriate storage, scientific and engineering resources which for this purpose are more suitable than those at Sellafield.

  We invite the Committee to consider the fact that subsequent to the delivery of this material the government announced on the 5 June that reprocessing was to end at this plant. This means that the UK will no longer be able to offer similar faciltities on non-proliferation grounds.

HANDLING

  The UKAEA workforce at Dounreay has sufficient facilities and knowledge to be able to deal with this material which will provide the manufacture of targets for medical isotope production. In addition to 1,000 targets the unirradiated fuel will provide an additional five m doses of techetium 99 for cancer diagnosis.

  This work will depend upon the NII giving approval for fuel cycle operations to resume when it has completed its inspection and made recommendations. Inevitably these recommendations will require expenditure to bring the plant up to the latest standards. Whilst the outcome is awaited the trade unions consider that prima facie there is an overriding case for these needs to be met.

PRESENTATION

  The trade unions are critical that the government was caught completely on the hop by an overseas leak of information regarding the transport and reprocessing of this material at Dounreay. Subsequent statements by ministers showed that the decision was sound in principle and completely justified. There was far more good to this story than bad. However, given the already sensitive nature of any matter relating to the Dounreay plant we invite the Committee to make recommendations to the government as to how such announcements should be made in future.

  The Dounreay workforce has a vital role to play in the future reprocessing and decommissioning operations at this site. This episode has caused a further loss of morale when there appears to be very little understanding, or a willingness to understand by the world outside, the nature of the work at the plant.

CONCLUSION

  The Dounreay trade unioins remain supportive of the UKAEA and the efforts they are making to be as open as possible about the operations on site and to admit where errors have been made in the past. The Committee is urged to be supportive of the UKAEA and to make recommendations to ensure that there is a better public understanding in future of the work which will continue to be undertaken for many years at the plant.

9 June 1998