HL Deb 09 June 1986 vol 476 cc1-2
Lord Belhaven and Stenton

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what levels of radiation were recorded in the local authority nuclear-free zones during the period of fallout from the Soviet reactor at Chernobyl.

The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Elton)

My Lords, many measurements were made throughout the country during the Chernobyl incident, covering radioactivity in air, rainfall, water, milk and other foodstuffs. The estimated radiation doses to average members of the public resulting from the Chernobyl discharge were summarised in a bulletin published by my department, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. Her Majesty's Government did not monitor local authority nuclear-free zones separately. The radioactive material was carried by the wind, and experience does not suggest that declarations by local politicians are recognised or understood by the forces of nature.

Lord Belhaven and Stenton

My Lords, I thank my noble friend very much for that clear Answer. I do not suppose that he can do so, but can he explain in what sense, if any, the so-called nuclear-free zones are nuclear free; and, if there is no sense in which they are nuclear free, would he not agree that this is a very clear case of misrepresentation of the electorate or at any rate the more gullible members of the electorate? Can my noble friend also tell me whether any of these authorities made representations to the Foreign Office asking them to protest to the Soviet Government about the breach of their nuclear-free zones?

Lord Elton

My Lords, in the sense that a nuclear-free zone is a zone without any nuclear material in it, none of these zones would seem to qualify if, for instance, they have a hospital in them which uses nuclear products for medical purposes. I therefore think that they are nuclear free in the sense that a rain-free zone is a zone in which people do not carry umbrellas and get wet if it rains.

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