§ Mr. Muddasked the Minister of State for Defence (1) if he will classify, according to quantity, type and country of manufacture, the missiles and other ammunition washed ashore on the coasts of Cornwall and Devon since mid-January; and indicate, according to groupings, which of these objects represent high, medium or low risk to any inexperienced handler;
(2) what steps have been taken to trace and identify the origin of the armaments being washed ashore in Devon and Cornwall, and with what result; and what estimate he has made of the quantifies 285W and types of missiles likely yet to reach West Country beaches.
§ Mr. Antony BuckUp to 21st February, 1,360 84 mm cartridges and about 93,000 rounds of 9 mm tracer ammunition, washed ashore in the Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon and Pembrokeshire, had been recovered. The Department of Trade and Industry has established, through the shipping agents concerned, that the armaments were part of the cargo of the Israeli vessel "Galila" washed overboard when she wasen route from the Netherlands to Israel in December. The armaments concerned are of a design manufactured under licence in a number of countries and therefore their country of origin is uncertain. Although small quantities of the armaments are still being washed ashore, it seems probable that the bulk of the remainder has sunk. The armaments would present risks to an inexperienced handler although it is difficult to quantify these. I understand that warnings have been issued locally.