HC Deb 29 January 1985 vol 72 c140
7. Mr. Willie W. Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the evidence given by his Department to the Australian Royal Commission currently in London investigating the safety of the United Kingdom nuclear test programme in the 1950s.

Mr. Butler

Her Majesty's Government are cooperating as fully as practicable with the Australian Royal Commission. Twenty-five witnesses are being assisted to give evidence to the commission. They include high-ranking staff who were in responsible positions during the test programme, and the first to be called was Lord Penney. The Ministry of Defence has also made available a large number of trials and other reports and is providing the commission with access to and guidance on the massive volume of contemporary material relating to the test programmes.

Mr. Hamilton

Have not the Government been criticised by the commission for refusing access to certain documents which it thought were vital? If so, is this not another example of the Government being more concerned to avoid political embarrassment than to show concern for national security?

Mr. Butler

No. On the contrary, we have gone out of our way to be helpful. We have released documents ahead of the 30-year rule; we have given members of the commission access to Aldermaston; and we have assisted them in looking at the material. But—and I hope the hon. Gentleman will agree with me—quite rightly we are witholding information which is still classified, and for good reason.

Sir John Farr

When will the report on the tests being conducted by my right hon. Friend's Department into British service personnel who were in that area in the 1950s be available, and when will the findings of the tests and analyses be published?

Mr. Butler

The report will not be available until the autumn of 1986, due to its complexity. There would be no point in having the report if the findings were not made generally available.