§ 2.50 p.m.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government when it is proposed to make a statement to inform the public of the amounts of radio strontium in Great Britain in 1957 and 1958, observing that the last information published related to the position in 1956.]
953§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)My Lords, the noble Viscount has been misinformed. A report by the Atomic Energy Authority, giving the United Kingdom figures for 1957 of strontium in human bones, has been published, and is now available in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament. Other information, also covering 1957, has been published in the medical press. In future, publication of the results of fall-out monitoring will normally be by calendar years.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, on what date was the report made?
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMSome time ago, certainly before this Question was put down; but I should require notice in order to give the exact date.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, if we refer to the questions put to the Prime Minister in another place last week, we find that there seems to be a general impression with regard to the fall-out of strontium 90 that no information had been available since 1956. Of course it may be that the publication has been of quite recent date. Is the noble and learned Viscount aware that there is grave anxiety in the country about this general matter and that there is a feeling that publicity ought to be given not only to the percentage of fall-out of strontium 90 but also to what are its effects? The anxiety in Wales, particularly in the agricultural industry, I think justifies giving far more publicity to our information than has yet been given.
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords. I am fully aware of the anxiety and of the desirability of suitable publicity. I think it is very important that people should be accurately informed about this general matter. I would remind the noble Viscount, however, that within the next month a fairly powerful report is due from the international committee set up by the United Nations on the effects of these various substances, and I should think that before issuing any fresh material of a commentative character we should be wise to await that report, so that what we say will be up to date.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, I am obliged to the noble and learned Viscount. That may be very helpful, but I hope that it will include the points we have made in regard to the effects of the fall-out in various districts of our own country.
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, in my original Answer I tried to say that it has been published for some time. Indeed, the monitoring service which is responsible for the publication of the figures has been very considerably increased over the last year or so. Of course, the figures and the inferences to be drawn from them are matters for scientific discussion, and I should hope that in any publicity which is given to the matter a serious attempt will be made in a dispassionate and objective way to explain to the public the correct scientific inferences. In this connection I would say that the report of the Medical Research Council of 1956 still holds the field and should be carefully studied.