Sir, - British Nuclear Fuels Ltd is certainly going through difficult times. The Japanese Government is refusing to accept future consignments from BNFL's new Mox demonstration facility at the Thorp reprocessing plant in Cumbria. This Mox fuel which is a nuclear by-product of plutonium and uranium was being billed as an extraordinary money winner for BNFL in the coming years. However, when the Japanese Kansai electric company found that BNFL staff had falsified documents relating to a recent consignment of Mox fuel destined to Japan before Christmas, BNFL's troubles began to mount.
Firstly, it is going to be very difficult for the Japanese Government and Japanese companies to rebuild what is a shattered trust over BNFL's admitted falsification of documents.
Secondly, 70 members of the British House of Commons have signed a motion expressing concern at the recent difficulties caused by the falsification. This will make it more difficult for BNFL to secure the appropriate licences from the British Government to manufacture this Mox fuel into the future.
Thirdly, this does not augur well for the merits of the privatisation of BNFL at a time when it seeks to impress the case upon worldwide investors for its supposed high business standards. - Yours, etc.,
Jim Fitzsimons, MEP, Navan, Co Meath.