Vernon Coaker MP Labour’s Shadow Defence Secretary, responding to the news that HMS Vanguard will be refuelled after a fault was found in a test nuclear reactor in Dounreay, said:

“There must be public confidence in the government to be open and transparent on these matters. The fault that was found two years ago in a nuclear reactor in Dounreay, however small, is something that Parliament and the public should have been told about before now.

“The Defence Secretary has confirmed there are no safety issues arising and that will go some way to reassuring people in Scotland and across the United Kingdom.

“In the current international defence and security climate, it is important the Britain retains the ability to be able to maintain continuous at-sea deterrence. We await further details on what impact, if any, the refuelling of the Vanguard Class submarines will have on this.”

Margaret Curran MP Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary said:

“This raises serious questions about the Scottish Government’s conduct and their ability to be open and transparent. The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency has known about this incident at Dounreay since October 2012. But, like the UK Government, they haven’t been open with people in Scotland.

“The Scottish Government has some significant questions to answer about what they knew and when. Did SEPA inform Scottish Government Ministers and if not, why not? If Scottish Government Ministers did know, why has the public only been informed today, nearly 18 months later? And did Scottish Government Ministers discuss this issue with the UK Government?”