Christmas Island Tests (Hansard, 23 February 1993)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Viscount Cranborne)
My Lords, we have no information indicating any significant exposure to ionising radiation on the part of South Sea Islanders as a result of British nuclear tests.

§ Lord Parry
My Lords, I believe that the Minister knows, as I do, of the dependence of the governments of Kiribati and Tuvalu on external aid. Will the Government increase that aid in order to ensure that those who were on the island and who left it can be identified? Their present state of health can then be measured and it can be properly ascertained whether they have ongoing health problems as a result of our taking them into the testing area.

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, I should make it clear to your Lordships that no islanders were employed on duties involving exposure to ionising radiation. Care was taken not to expose either them or British personnel to danger. I should perhaps add that studies have been made in regard to the state of health of the islanders; I refer particularly to the study entitled, Environmental Radiation Survey of Christmas Island Kiribati; Mathews and Gregory, New Zealand Department of Health, National Radiation Laboratory, Christchurch, New Zealand, in which a number of helpful and constructive points were made exonerating Her Majesty's Government at that time.

§ Lord Parry
My Lords, perhaps the House will permit me one more question. In view of the fact that the Minister is aware of that study—he will accept that I am aware of it also and of its findings—is he aware that when the bomb was actually exploded over the island from 30,000 feet up, the people we took in there were placed in a manyatta within 27 miles of ground zero? The manyatta had no sides and a grassed roof. They were asked to remain in there while canvas sheets were lowered around the building and subsequently allowed to move out some minutes after the explosion.

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, I and, I am sure, the rest of the House accept and admire the noble Lord's concern for the good health of the islanders. Her Majesty's Government certainly will accept responsibility if radiation has harmed them. However, 80 there is absolutely no evidence, in spite of our best efforts, to sustain that allegation. If the noble Lord can provide that evidence, we shall be happy to look at it again. But he knows as well as I that that evidence is not at present available to us and, as far as we know, nobody has made it available.

The Earl of Selkirk
My Lords, can the Minister say whether the Government accept any responsibility for naval officers or men who lost their lives following the explosion on Christmas Island?

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, my noble friend will be aware of the Answer that I gave to the noble Lord, Lord Parry, in reply to an Unstarred Question he tabled in your Lordships' House late last year. It is clear that the NRPB has reported, and that the obligations for compensation which the Ministry of Defence established and published, have been observed. The Department of Social Security, whose criteria were well explained by my noble friend Lord Henley in a successful debate in your Lordships' House some time ago, are also made clear.
There is no evidence whatever to suppose that, as a result of the activities on Christmas Island, there was a higher incidence of death from various cancers among those who took part in supporting and executing the tests. That is supported by the evidence as a result of research carried out with a large control group of 23,000 people. In the control group the incidence of cancers was higher than the incidence of cancers among those who took part in the tests.

§ Lord Ashley of Stoke
My Lords, is the Minister aware that when he speaks of lack of evidence it is a grey area in which there is rarely concrete evidence for, or concrete lack of evidence? The United States authorities have shown a willingness to give the benefit of any balance of doubt to nuclear test veterans and people concerned. In this country the department has failed to do that. The benefit of the balance of doubt should be given by the Government to the islanders. Will the Minister look at the situation more kindly and less pedantically in regard to lack of evidence or presence of evidence on the issue?

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, I am always nervous when accused of being pedantic by the noble Lord, Lord Ashley. However, I think that he is in danger, if your Lordships will allow me to say so, of mixing apples and oranges when comparing the British system with the system of support produced by the Veterans Administration in the United States. There are differences, but then we live in different countries and under different systems. I could equally well produce a reasoned case, with which I shall not risk boring your Lordships at the moment, which would support the contention that in some areas we do better than the United States Veterans Administration just as in some areas the noble Lord might say that it does better than we do. The balance of advantage is at least arguable and can in some degree be attributed to the different systems for compensation, to use the American sense of the term, operating in the United States.

§ Lord Auckland
My Lords, can my noble friend confirm who carried out these tests? When was the last one carried out?

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, I assume that my noble friend is asking who carried out the tests on the islanders rather than on the people from this country who supported the tests. I have given one example at some length, for which I apologise to your Lordships, which was a New Zealand example. There are also, I understand, American examples which I could quote to your Lordships.

§ Lord Williams of Elvel
My Lords, there appear to be certain differences of fact. The noble Viscount said that no islanders were affected by this event. Is it not the case that islanders who are not native to Christmas Island were largely imported from Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony by Christmas Island Plantations, a company owned by the colonial government, to assist with work on the base? They were indentured for two years and remained there for two years. During early tests those islanders were kept in a village meeting house with thatched roof and roll down canvas sides. They were allowed out after the blast with dark glasses as were servicemen, subsequently seen in television broadcasts. Would the noble Viscount like to revise his opinion on whether islanders from outside Christmas Island have not been affected?

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, I am sure that the wearing of dark glasses has a remarkably emotive effect on your Lordships. However, all I can do is rely on the facts as I have endeavoured to ascertain them and to report them to your Lordships. Monitoring of the Christmas Island environment during and after the detonations showed no significant radioactivity in places where it could have affected people, either British servicemen or South Sea Islanders. There was testing of water, fish, local food, coconuts and the whole range of flora and fauna, including temporarily resident two legged fauna of the kind to which the noble Lord, Lord Williams, refers.

§ Lord Harmar-Nicholls
My Lords, is my noble friend aware that his reply to the main Question could not have been more definite and categoric? In the absence of authority greater than that which will cast doubt on the reply, are we not doing a disservice to the people of that area by presuming all kinds of things for which there is no supporting evidence?

Viscount Cranborne
My Lords, I am, as always, grateful to my noble friend. I have really nothing to add to what he has just said.

§ Lord Parry
My Lords, may I test the House for one second?

Noble Lords
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