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Sea Dumping Operations

Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all coastal or sea disposal sites used for the dumping of (a) surplus chemical weapons, (b) chemical weapons recovered from enemy forces, (c) surplus conventional explosives, (d) toxic wastes and (e) radioactive waste since 1965; and what quantity of the waste materials of each category is dumped at each site. [1581]

Mr. Soames: Complete records of MoD sea dumping operations undertaken are no longer available. Accordingly, it is not possible to identify the total tonnages or precise nature of defence-related materials or waste products disposed of by this means. Records show that sea dumping of chemical weapons ended in 1957. Beaufort's dyke was the Departments's main conventional munitions disposal site in the north channel, where over 1 million tonnes of munitions were dumped between 1945 and 1973. An emergency MoD disposal took place in 1976 involving two cases of heavily corroded 40mm shells. Hurd Deep, situated in the English channel some 50 miles south of Prawle Point near Plymouth was also a conventional weapon dump site but no complete record appears to have survived of dumping operations at this site after the immediate post-war period until its use was discontinued in 1973. Between 1973 and 1985, up to 2,000 tonnes of conventional munitions were disposed of annually at the deep water dump site situated approximately 400 miles south-west of Lands End, off the continental shelf. From 1985 until October 1992, when the sea dumping of munitions was terminated, the annual disposals were as follows: 904 tonnes; 1,882 tonnes, 1,565 tonnes; 3,244 tonnes; 1,544 tonnes; 1,775 tonnes; 1,093 tonnes and 8,764 tonnes. There are a number of other explosive dumping grounds charted in British waters but these were not routinely used. Details of the UK's sea disposal programme for low and intermediate level radioactive wastes, including wastes generated by MoD establishments, are contained in a report commissioned by the Department of the Environment, "Report of the Independent Review of Disposal of Radioactive Waste in the Northeast Atlantic", published in November 1984.

Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment

Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the climatic chamber in the human factors section at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down was built; and what this chamber is used for. [1562]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

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Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:

Your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Defence asking when the climatic chamber in the Human Factors section at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment was built and what it is used for has been passed to me to reply as the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency which includes CBDE as one of its divisions.


Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down have been exposed to chemical warfare agents in experiments since 1965; what was the purpose of these experiments; when these experiments took place; and what were the conclusions of these experiments. [1560]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:


Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many scientific and biological papers were published between 1969 and 1991 under the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment technical paper series; and how many of these papers are now unclassified. [1609]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:


Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what experiments have been carried out in the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment's new facility for testing equipment and volunteers since the

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facility was opened in February 1994; and how many years this new facility is projected to be in service. [1563]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:


Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of section 6 No. 5 of the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment's range safety regulation issued in 1984 which relates to the use of exposure chambers. [1564]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:


Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what new buildings are planned to be built at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down, as part of its building replacement programme. [1610]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:


23 Nov 1995 : Column: 269

Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the conclusion of the research work at Nancekuke to investigate the storage of GB referred to in his answer of 16 March, Official Report, column 709; and when this work was carried out. [1616]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:


Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) when the Health and Safety Executive last conducted a safety inspection at the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, Porton Down; and when the next Health and Safety Executive inspection of the establishment is scheduled; [1561]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:


23 Nov 1995 : Column: 270

Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the 21 safety audits referred to in his answer of 18 July, Official Report, columns 175-76 reviewed the arrangements for carrying out tests and studies in the service volunteer programme. [1611]

Mr. Soames: This is a matter for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency under its framework document. I have asked the chief executive, DERA, to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 23 November 1995:



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