Motion for a resolution - B5-0425/2000Motion for a resolution
B5-0425/2000

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

15 May 2000

further to Oral Question B5‑0223/2000
pursuant to Rule 42(5) of the Rules of Procedure
by Giles Bryan Chichester and Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca
on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
on falsification of data at the MOX Demonstration Facility at the BNFL Sellafield site

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B5-0416/2000

B5‑0425/2000

European Parliament resolution on falsification of data at the MOX Demonstration Facility at the BNFL Sellafield site

The European Parliament,

-   whereas the EURATOM Treaty seeks to ensure a high level of safety in its sphere of competence,

-   whereas in September 1999 British Nuclear Fuels plc ( BNLF) reported to the UK Nuclear Installations Inspectorate ( NII ) that some of the secondary checks on mixed oxide (MOX) fuel pellet diameter in the MOX Demonstration Facility ( MDF ) at Sellafield site had been falsified, the carrying out of those checks being part of the contract with a Japanese customer,

-   whereas the NII indicates in its report of this incident that "four out of five shifts are implicated in the falsification of pellet diameter data ...and some people actively bypassed procedures for measuring and recording data ",

-   whereas in an inspection carried out also in September 1999 by the NII at the Sellafield site and unrelated to the above incident, NII concluded that 'there is a lack of a high quality safety management system across the site, which is compounded by an overly complex management structure',

-   whereas there are at present no harmonised minimum standards in the EU for the safe and reliable design, construction and operation of nuclear and nuclear-related installations,

1.   Condemns the falsification of the MOX test results by BNFL staff and expresses its concerns about the lack of a proper and trustworthy safety management culture at BNFL;

2.   Notes the UK NII statement that it will 'not allow restart of this plant until significant changes have been made in the staffing of the plant' and commends its position as one of sensible safety strategy needed to assure public confidence;

3.   Requests the Commission to propose legislation for establishing EU-wide high minimum standards for the safe and reliable design, construction and operation of nuclear and nuclear-related installations, particularly in view of the practical and possibly political problems arising from the forthcoming accession of new Members;

4.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UK NII and BNFL plc.