Geoffrey Clifton-Brown highlights the lessons learned by the Japanese from Fukushima and their belief that design improvements can be made so that they can safely build new nuclear plants. He calls on the Govnernment to take note and be reassured that it is possible to design safe nuclear power plants.

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (The Cotswolds) (Con): Having discussed the Fukushima problems with the Japanese, I know that they have concluded that not only did the reactor need to be built stronger to withstand the extreme climatic conditions, but that the primary weakness was that there was no secondary power source to circulate the water to keep the nuclear core cool. However, if they can design out those problems, they are perfectly happy in principle to build new nuclear power stations. Should we not take some lessons from those statements?

Chris Huhne: I thank my hon. Friend for that question. The lessons from Japan are extraordinary. First of all, the earthquake, however terrible and powerful, did not damage the reactors. The damage came through the subsequent tsunami, which flooded the secondary cooling system and made it inoperable. It shifted away the diesel supplies for the back-up generating plant. That is precisely why it is so important to look at these secondary systems and ensure that they are proof against any extreme weather events in this country.

| Hansard