15 OCT 1986
FINANCIAL SECRETARY: Sir, in my speech at the conclusion of the adjournment debate held in this Council on 16 July 1986, I said, and many acknowledged the fact, that this is a complex issue. The concerns of the public and of Members of this Council are both genuine and sincere. The last debate was followed by the visits by some Members to the United States, Europe and Japan. You, Sir, have referred to those visits in your speech in this Council last week. The report produced following the visits was a most valuable contribution towards the understanding of many of the problems that are faced in relation to the use of nuclear energy for civil purposes and I would like, Sir, to add my own personal thanks to all members of those fact finding missions for the work that they put in to them and for the reports that they produced. Later, I shall comment further on the observations that were directed at the Government.
I have no doubt whatsoever that the last debate, and the report, have done much good, and I have no hesitation in saying the same of this afternoon's debate on Miss DUNN's motion. Let me say at the outset that the Government warmly supports the motion. But to provide a full response this afternoon would take many hours and would not, I suspect, answer adequately all the points that have been made in Members' speeches. I therefore intend to produce for issue to Members a paper which will provide, as far as the Government is able, the in- formation sought in the motion. It will also address many of the specific points that have been made by Members this afternoon. In addition to answering the observations of the fact-finding missions, I shall today confine my comments to providing an outline of the salient points that will be covered in this paper.