§ 26 and 27. Mr. G. Robertsasked the Secretary of State for War (1) if he will make a statement about the recent occurrence at Cwm Silyn, Caernarvonshire, in which two boys were killed and two others gravely injured by the explosion of War Office material which had not been cleared when the ground was evacuated as a training ground;
(2) if he is aware that, as a result of the fatal accident at Cwm Silyn, there is widespread anxiety in Caernarvonshire as to whether this area, and others, formerly used for battle training, have been fully cleared of explosive material; and if he will give an assurance that steps are now being taken to effect complete clearance.
§ Mr. HeadDuring the last war about 6 million acres of land were used for training with live ammunition, and before this land was released steps were taken to clear it of mortar bombs, grenades and other explosives. The area to which the hon. Member refers was searched before it was released in 1946. I deeply regret that despite these steps this tragic accident occurred, and I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my sympathy with the parents. I have arranged for the high ground in the vicinity of the accident and the agricultural land within the old training area to be searched again.
§ Mr. RobertsIs the Secretary of State aware that there is considerable feeling in Caernarvon, and, I believe, elsewhere, that his Department has not been as efficient as it should have been in properly clearing these areas of unexploded missiles before permitting public access? What we all in Caernarvonshire now hope is that this dreadful accident will at least be the means of preventing anything of this sort happening to any other child in any other part of the country.
§ Mr. HeadI appreciate that feeling, but I am sure the hon. Member will realise that to be completely certain of 6 million acres, when there may be an 182 odd mortar bomb under a gorse bush, is a very difficult problem. We have done our best, and it is a very major manpower commitment. Our only alternative would be to close these areas to the public, and up to date we have found that we should not have been justified in doing that. I assure the hon. Member, however, that wherever anything like this happens, we shall carry out a much more intensive search. That will be done.
§ Mr. RobertsWhile appreciating what the right hon. Gentleman says, may I ask him to look into this point? It is sugested that it was not one bomb that was responsible for this accident, but rather a pile of bombs, in which case the search cannot have been a very efficient or close one.