§ 45. Mr. Hastingsasked the Prime Minister if he will give figures to compare the amounts of ionising radiation received from the atmosphere during each of the last ten years by London, and England and Wales, respectively.
§ The Secretary of State for the Home Department and Lord Privy Seal (Mr. R. A. Butler)I have been asked to reply.
1452 I regret that figures in the form requested are not available. As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister explained to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mr. Moss) on 5th March, there is a national programme for monitoring fall-out which is designed to provide reliable data for assessing the extent to which the population as a whole is exposed to fall-out. Local measurements of total ionising radiation, which would include natural radiation, would not add materially to the value of these data. No figures of fall-out are available for the period before 1951, but the results of the national monitoring programme are now published each year. They do not give cause for concern.
§ Mr. HastingsHas the attention of the right hon. Gentleman been called to a statement at a recent meeting of Euratom that in the six central countries of Europe the amount of radiation from above had definitely increased? Ought not we to know whether the same is happening in our country? Is not it true that there is great diversity of opinion among the experts as to the amount of radiation which can fall with safety?
§ Mr. ButlerYes, I think there is a variety of opinion among the experts, but I should draw the attention of the hon. Member to the fact that the relevant Atomic Energy Research Establishment reports, the numbers of which I can give him, have been put in the Library of the House and they make available the latest information from our own experts. I think it would be a good thing to study those in order to get some idea of the validity of the Answer I have given.